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Thursday, October 14, 2004
Our Daily Bread
"Give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11). Now there's a realistic prayer.
One day at a time, says Jesus; that's how we should expect God to meet our material needs. It's the way we really live, anyhow, so why ask for more than we can handle?
One time Jesus fasted and prayed for 40 days, then he was tempted by the devil at his weakest point. "Make some bread out of those stones there. You can do it. You are God's son, aren't you?"
But Jesus knew there's much more to life than bread. Like, living in the light of God's truth.
His 40 days in the desert were a re-enactment of Israel's 40 years out there after Moses liberated them from Egyptian slavery. They fasted too, but not voluntarily. They just didn't have any food. When they grumbled God gave them a strange kind of bread -- Manna, which fell with each morning's dew.
That "wonder bread" came with a warning: Gather just enough for your family to eat today; hoarding won't work. Some tried it anyway but their stash got moldy and worse.
So we pray by the same principle. Worrying about what we'll eat (or wear, or put in the bank) doesn't help us get it. God is the one who makes it happen, and just one day at a time.
Suppose we stockpile for the long haul, and then tonight we die. What good did our planning do? Instead of clutching God's supply close to our chest, it's far better to open our hands in generous sharing.
Bread for your table is the product of farmers, millers, bakers, drivers, and merchants. You get it by driving, riding, or walking to and from the store. Then there are the makers and maintainers of trucks, cars, bikes, and shoes who help the process work. In and behind all of that is God, who never misses a beat in guiding the world on its daily course.
Life is all of a piece. Each of us helps to answer our own prayer for daily bread, and each other's. Imagine: You're God's answer to somebody's prayers.
posted by Jack Buckley at
9:10 AM
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