In verses Matthew 6:9 – 13, Jesus provides a model for believers to follow as they pray. He is speaking to crowds that have gathered around Him as He sits and preaches. Jesus is sharing that believers are not to pray to draw attention to ourselves or to just say Christian phrases so we sound good. He exhorts us to pray differently. He then shares what is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus says, “Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
¹⁰ Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread,
¹² and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.”

The sixth line, “Give us this day our daily bread,” is about us learning to trust God. Each day, we will have needs to include physical, spiritual, financial, or emotional needs. God promises to meet those needs in Matthew 6:25 – 34, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you add a single hour to your life by worrying?”

As we ask for God’s provision of daily bread, this line reminds us that God provides what we need day by day. Like the Israelites in the wilderness, Exodus 16: 4 says, “Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.” This verse says “each day” God will provide. We humble ourselves each time we pray this line and confess that ‘man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.’

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You for showing us how to pray. Thank You for meeting our every need each day. Even before we know we have a need, You are there ahead of us meeting it. Father, please remind us that You are all we ever truly need. Help us to place You first in everything so that we may reflect Your love to everyone we meet. In Jesus name we pray, amen.