“Give us today our daily bread.”
MATTHEW 6:11
Can you imagine living near the mountains and never going to them? Never hiking or biking the trails. Never going camping or even having a picnic in a meadow. Never swimming in a lake or hiking to a waterfall. Never skiing or snowboarding or sledding or tubing. It sounds crazy, doesn’t it?
Yet for many of us, it seems that the only time we go to the “must see” attractions in our area is when we have visitors from out of town! We may live near the beach, or perhaps our town boasts a renowned theater, a famous museum, or a major sports arena. We know that we can go anytime . . . and yet we never do.
It’s easy to take good things for granted when we know they’re always available, isn’t it? If we’re not careful, this attitude can even infect our relationship with God. Maybe that’s why, when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, His instructions included basic things. Obvious things.
“Give us today our daily bread.”
It doesn’t get much more everyday than that, does it? This basic, daily, physical need is right in the middle between parts of the prayer that we might think of as more spiritual. The beginning of the prayer praises God and yields to Him. The end of the prayer asks for forgiveness and protection from evil. In the middle is this request for daily sustenance.
Here’s one little lesson we can take from the Lord’s Prayer. Worshipping God and receiving forgiveness are just as vital to our daily lives as food is. They might be easier to overlook, but spiritually, we starve without them.
Let’s take time today to thank God for the blessings we take for granted!