Give us this day our daily bread!

Most people know the Lords prayer found in the gospels in the book of  Matthew  and Luke 11.

 Matthew 6: 9-13
  After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven,  Hallowed be thy name.
  Thy kingdom come, Thy will  be done in earth, as it is in heaven.  Give  us this day our daily bread.
  And forgive us our debts, as  we forgive our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For thine is  the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.


 Luke 11: 1-4
  And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain  place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to
pray, as John also taught his disciples.  And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in  earth.  Give  us day by day our daily bread.
 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to  us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

  The emphasis of this article is the phrase ‘ Give us this day our daily bread’ or give us day by day our daily bread’.


From scripture, we know that the word ‘bread’ can signify other things such  as doctrine (Matthew 16;12) , healing (Matthew 15:26) etc so we need to be  specific about what ‘daily bread ‘ means.  In other words, it has to be what we require on a daily basis.


Our physical food required for our bodies is the first thing that springs to  mind for it strengthens us:
 Psalm 104: 14- 15 confirms this,   He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the  service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;  And wine that maketh glad the  heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and  bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.


To have a daily supply of food, most of us will agree that one needs a job or  a business that will generate an income. This is how in a practical way we all  get food to eat. There is some form of labour required for us to have our daily  bread.


Proverbs 12: 11 He that tilleth his land  shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.

 Proverbs 20: 13  Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt  be satisfied with bread.

  Therefore when we pray: ‘give us this day or day by day our  daily bread’, we are asking for:

             a job

• or a business


• good health  to work


• peace of mind to be able to do a good job


• good business ideas to make an income


• strength to go to work

All these are a requirement for daily physical food/ bread.


The second daily bread requirement is our spiritual food.


The Word of God:

 Matthew 4: 4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread  alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.



 Spending time in His presence:

 Just as our physical food strengthens our bodies, spending time in His  presence renews our inner man:


Isaiah 40: 29-31

 29 He giveth power to the faint;  and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

 30 Even the youths shall faint and  be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

 31 But they that wait  upon the Lord shall  renew their strength;  they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and  they shall walk, and not faint.


Jesus is the bread of life (John 6:48). The true bread (John 6: 32)


To live a vibrant life we must eat our physical food, hear from the Lord  through His Word daily, and linger and spend time in His presence.

 This gives the phrase ‘Give us this day our daily bread’ a deeper  meaning.


Just as we don’t pray for our physical daily bread and just wait at the bed  for food to be sent, but go out to work to earn a living, so should we not be  passive about getting our spiritual daily bread.  We must feed on His Word  and spend time in his presence. This is how we will get our daily bread.


   Bisi Oladipupo