Why should we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” as Jesus taught, when we have plenty of food in our pantry? The reason Jesus said we are to keep coming back to the Father with this request each and every day is so that we will remember what we tend to forget: It is not daily food that we need; we continually need God. The issue is not just about having a full stomach, it is about having a full heart. The simple act of connecting with a Father who will take care of his children is something far greater than a satisfied appetite. And he will not only answer our prayer for provision in that moment, but he is the answer to all of our life!
The Journey: Luke 11:3
Give us each day the food we need.
If your house is like mine, your refrigerator is full—of both known food substances as well as new and developing life forms. Likewise, your pantry is probably stocked, maybe even stuff from Y2K that you were convinced was necessary to the survival of the human race. It is likely that you have never gone without a meal, except by choice. We live at a time where two-thirds of Americans are overweight, according to the Surgeon General, so why pray, as Jesus taught, for more daily food?
In his teaching on the Lord’s Prayer, Pastor John Ortberg reminds us that Jesus knew something that we forget: It is not daily food that we need; we need God each and every day. The issue is not just about having a full stomach, it is primarily about having a full heart. Jesus is teaching us about the contentedness that comes from connecting with a Father who will take care of his children—something far more satisfying than a full stomach! Praying for bread and food reminds us that God will not only provide the answer we need in that moment; he is the answer to all of our life!
In a very real sense, the greatest answer to our prayers is actually praying this prayer. How is that? It connects us to the God who cares for us. A few verses later, in Luke 11:11-13, Jesus frames it in this context: “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”
Of course, if a child asks his parent for a necessity, any good parent will provide the child’s need. It is simply a natural part of a healthy parent-child relationship. If you are a parent, you get that because God has hardwired into your genetic code the desire to meet the needs of your children. Because you love them, you will do everything you can to meet their needs. When they are confident of that, they are on the way to emotional wellbeing, peace of mind, and contentedness in life.
If that is true of you, an imperfect parent with incomplete knowledge and limited resources, how much more true is it of your Heavenly Father who is pure in love, complete in wisdom and unlimited in power? He not only gives us what we need, he gives himself: “How much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who asks!”
Do you see what Jesus is showing? Prayer not only produces a result, it produces something far better: a relationship. That is why Jesus taught us to come back every day to ask God. He wanted us to be ever mindful that our Heavenly Father is not only the answer to our momentary need, he, himself, is the source of our very life.
Yes, even more satisfying than a full stomach is a full heart!
A Simple Prayer To Be More Like Jesus:
God, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. Give me today the food I need, and forgive the sins that I have committed – and I promise to forgive those who’ve sinned against me. Don’t let me yield to temptation, but keep me from the grip of the Evil One.
If your house is like mine, your refrigerator is full—of both known food substances as well as new and developing life forms. Likewise, your pantry is probably stocked, maybe even stuff from Y2K that you were convinced was necessary to the survival of the human race. It is likely that you have never gone without a meal, except by choice. We live at a time where two-thirds of Americans are overweight, according to the Surgeon General, so why pray, as Jesus taught, for more daily food?
In his teaching on the Lord’s Prayer, Pastor John Ortberg reminds us that Jesus knew something that we forget: It is not daily food that we need; we need God each and every day. The issue is not just about having a full stomach, it is primarily about having a full heart. Jesus is teaching us about the contentedness that comes from connecting with a Father who will take care of his children—something far more satisfying than a full stomach! Praying for bread and food reminds us that God will not only provide the answer we need in that moment; he is the answer to all of our life!
In a very real sense, the greatest answer to our prayers is actually praying this prayer. How is that? It connects us to the God who cares for us. A few verses later, in Luke 11:11-13, Jesus frames it in this context: “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”
Of course, if a child asks his parent for a necessity, any good parent will provide the child’s need. It is simply a natural part of a healthy parent-child relationship. If you are a parent, you get that because God has hardwired into your genetic code the desire to meet the needs of your children. Because you love them, you will do everything you can to meet their needs. When they are confident of that, they are on the way to emotional wellbeing, peace of mind, and contentedness in life.
If that is true of you, an imperfect parent with incomplete knowledge and limited resources, how much more true is it of your Heavenly Father who is pure in love, complete in wisdom and unlimited in power? He not only gives us what we need, he gives himself: “How much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who asks!”
Do you see what Jesus is showing? Prayer not only produces a result, it produces something far better: a relationship. That is why Jesus taught us to come back every day to ask God. He wanted us to be ever mindful that our Heavenly Father is not only the answer to our momentary need, he, himself, is the source of our very life.
Yes, even more satisfying than a full stomach is a full heart!
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