Daily Bread
- elizabethswinningw
- Jun 23, 2017
- 4 min read
Give us today our daily bread.
Matthew 6:11
The bombing raids of World War II left thousands of children orphaned and starving on the streets. After experiencing the terror of abandonment, many of these children were rescued and sent to refugee camps where they received food and shelter. Yet, even in the presence of good care, the orphans had experienced so much pain and loss that many of them could not sleep at night; they were terrified they would awake to find themselves once again homeless and hungry. Nothing the adults did reassured the children until someone thought to send each child to bed with a piece of bread. Lo and behold, while holding their pieces bread, the children were finally able to sleep. If they woke up frightened in the night, the bread seemed to remind them, "I ate today, and I will eat again tomorrow."
Although few of us have experienced the extreme levels of hunger and homelessness that those children survived, many of us came from homes where “scarcity” was the order of the day. For some of us, this scarcity was imagined: The wolf was always just inches away from the front door; Old Mother Hubbard’s cabinet was almost bare; the other shoe was about to fall, bringing with it some unforeseen financial catastrophe. Notice that this imagined scarcity was always about “tomorrow,” not a reality impacting the present moment. Others of us, however, know the reality of living in poverty that was anything but a figment of our imaginations. We know firsthand what it is like to be in that place where there is always too much month and too little money, where needs are great and resources are few. But whether our poverty was imagined or real, living in a constant state of scarcity can left deep emotional scars on our hearts, minds, and souls. Like the orphans in our story, we still wake up at night wondering if there will be “enough” to supply our needs tomorrow. Rather than getting a night of restful sleep, we spend the nighttime hours ruminating about the lack we might experience tomorrow—or the rainy day that may settle in with the first rays of sunlight.
Scripture is very clear that we are to depend on God, one day at a time, to provide for our needs during the calendar square called today. God gives us daily bread; he bears our burdens every day and his mercies are new every morning. We hear God’s voice today—and today is the day we are called to obey his Word. The trust process begins with being thankful for the bite-sized blessings our God has given us to savor TODAY. Just for today, we have everything we need. When today becomes tomorrow, our God, who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, will once again fill our cup and replenish our supply.
Living a life pleasing to God is about trusting him to provide for our needs as we put him first in all things. It is about nourishing and exercising our bodies, minds, hearts, and souls TODAY—not putting those important things off until tomorrow. It is about spending time in Bible study, scripture reading, and prayer, trusting that as we do those things, we will have enough time to do all the other things on our endless “to do” lists. It is about getting sufficient sleep, because the Lord, our Shepherd, has promised to provide for all our needs—and restful, restorative sleep is a basic human need.
No matter what our background and no matter what our family history, our Gracious God is in the process of making all things new—including the scarcity mentality that tells us there will never be enough. When God is our source and supply, there is always enough—plus leftovers to share with those in need!
There are only two ways to live your life.
One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle.
~~Albert Einstein
A Question to Ponder: Ponder how you still act like a spiritual orphan, anxiously running after the things of this world, rather than trusting your Father in heaven to provide for all you needs.
A Prayer to Offer: Forgive me, loving Lord, for not believing you and taking you at your word. You promise to give me my daily bread—my daily supply of all the good things you have stored up for me. Yet I continue to worry and fret about tomorrow. At the root of my anxiety and fear is the sin of unbelief. You call me to cast my cares on you for your care for me. You tell me you will provide for all my needs if I seek your kingdom and a right relationship with you first. I hear your words—and, yes, Lord, I want to believe. Please help my unbelief. Old habits die hard, and this habit called worry is no exception to that rule. But you are stronger than those old, destructive habits. You are greater than the sin that keeps me bound in unbelief. Your Spirit living in me is stronger than the spirit of the “not enough” world I live in. Thank you for giving me the strength and courage to confront my faulty beliefs and bring them in line with your truth. Thank you for giving me all I need to live a life pleasing to you. Amen.
An Action Step to Take: Read Psalm 23 out loud. As you read picture yourself as a contented sheep in the Good Shepherd’s pasture. When you have finished your mini-meditation, write a prayer thanking God for providing all you need—physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually in the calendar square called today. If “scarcity mentality” is especially problematic for you, recite the 23rd Psalm twice a day for 30 days—and when the fear of scarcity grabs you.
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
Psalm 23:1-6
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