Give us today our daily bread.
Matthew 6:11 (CSB)
The Lord’s Prayer changes direction here. The first half was about God. His name, His kingdom, His will. Now Jesus tells us to ask for what we need.
And the first thing on the list is bread. Food. The most ordinary need there is. The same prayer that talks about God’s glory also talks about lunch. That’s good news for us. Nothing in our lives is too small to pray about. Rent. Groceries. The car making that noise again. God wants to hear it.
Notice the size of the request too. “Today.” Not “give us enough for the next ten years.” God taught this to Israel long ago. He fed them in the desert with bread called manna, and the rule was one day’s worth at a time (Exodus 16). He wanted them to trust Him every single day. He wants the same from us.
That doesn’t make saving or planning wrong. The Bible praises planning ahead. This is about worry instead. The kind we carry about months from now.
So we pray just for today. “Father, give us what we need today.” Then tomorrow, we ask again. And when the food comes, we say thank you. It came from Him.
Jesus fed thousands with bread once. The next day He told them, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). Bread keeps a body alive for a day. Jesus keeps a soul alive forever. God gives both.