Jesus told His followers when they prayed, to pray like “this,” then He gave them a model. Most of our Bibles call it “The Lord’s Prayer.”
In this prayer, He said, “give us today the food we need.” Not a blanket request for provision, as in “cover my grocery trip today, Lord” or “fill my bank account.”
This request hearkens back to the time when God’s chosen people, Israel, were wandering in the desert and God provided manna for them. The light-as-air waferlike “bread” appeared every morning except the Sabbath and only one day’s supply could be gathered. Any leftover – except on the Sabbath – would rot overnight.
We are, for the most part, unaccustomed to having to go out and get our food for the day every day. We tend to go to the grocery store and get enough to last for several days, at least for several meals.
This can create a dependence on ourselves. We begin to think that the money we worked for to be able to go to the store to find and purchase the products is ours, earned by us, the food provided by us. It can remove the dependence on God that He expects from us.
See, we are God’s chosen and He provides for us every single day exactly what we will need for that day. Trouble is, we like security. We like knowing that there’s enough food and other necessities stored up to take us through whatever may come. We go out and get extra, stockpiling what we can against the uncertainties of life.
God expects us to always be utterly dependent on Him. That doesn’t mean that He won’t allow us to stock our pantries, but it does mean our hearts must be focused on Him, not on taking credit for the supply of our daily needs.
A number of years ago, I was in the position of not knowing how I would be able to provide the next meal for my son and myself. The supplies in the pantry were gone, outside a few spices. The refrigerator held a little milk. I was working, but mine was the supplemental income, not the breadwinner and my wages were barely making payments to keep the roof over our head. It was scary.
God provided for us in surprising ways and taught me that I don’t have to worry for tomorrow and that from my abundance, I can help others.
All that to say, don’t seek tomorrow’s supply today. Don’t look for the protections of tomorrow to store up today. Don’t take on the troubles of tomorrow today. Live only today today. If you’re in need of provision for today, pray, asking God for that provision and follow His lead – get off your pride and let someone know.
Live today. Only today. And in complete dependence on The Lord Who Provides.
Coffee, Bible, Journal.
