By David ReayFriday 29 Nov 2013LifeWords DevotionalsFaithReading Time: 0 minutes
Transcript:
Read Matthew 6:11
Give us this day our daily bread. (NRSV)
The first thing to say about this familiar line of the Lord’s Prayer is that it is not simply about bread,or even food itself. It is about provision of needs. Bread was a basic and necessary staple diet and so that word conveniently summarises the idea of need. But we can apply it much more widely.
We are invited to call on God to give us the resources to deal with whatever each day brings. Some days we will need lots of physical strength,other days we will need lots of wisdom. One day we need the capacity to forgive,another day we need the capacity to put up with pain. This is why we pray each day for the needs of that day. God gives us what we need when we need them.
So we can safely rest in the knowledge that God knows what challenges face us each day and is ready to empower us to meet those challenges. It is not as if his empowerment is at the same level or has the same characteristics each day. Some days we need lots more of his help and we can be assured we will receive it.
God’s help is elastic; it is shaped to our circumstances and is never taken by surprise or overwhelmed by those circumstances. His power and wisdom are not abstract entities but real-life expressions of his care tailored to us and to our unique needs. God’s children know there will always be bread on the table.
Blessings
David Reay