“Give us this day our daily bread.”
Our walk with Our Heavenly Father is a daily walk, not once a week, a month, or a year. For years I have not utilized an alarm clock to wake me up in starting a normal day. I trust HIM to awake me at the hour and the minute in which HE wants to begin our daily interaction. It is true I set the alarm for an early morning appointment to insure I am on time. Otherwise, I expect to be awaken by HIM. I warn you, when you make this determination, it could be early!
I start the day seeking what is on HIS Mind- not my will but Yours, Father. I share these tidbits not to exalt myself but simply to provide the reader with some perspective of the importance of “daily bread”. It is certainly possible that I need this more than many others. My wife would probably agree.
In the temptation of Jesus by the devil, Jesus stated:
Matthew 4:4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’
This was a quote from Deuteronomy 8:
1 “Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers. 2 And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3 So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.
Our daily bread is to assist us in “possessing” the Promised Land. This bread will sustain us during the time of testing and trials. The trials will come daily and thus we need our bread on a daily basis, else we become overwhelmed and frustrated by what life throws at us. This daily bread will provide us peace while the heathen rage.
Proverbs 9
4 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,
5 “Come, eat of my bread
And drink of the wine I have mixed.
Here we are told that bread represents understanding. Bread is sustenance for our spirit, soul, and body. We need daily nourishment to grow and Our Heavenly Father will provide bread in all three areas to those who ask. You can be “void” of HIS Word in a particular area and be blessed in another. In your conversation with Our Heavenly Father, you need to ask for HIS supply in the area you are lacking. Our “food” should be a well-balanced meal rather than just focusing on a single area of our life.
Manna was the bread from Heaven given to the children of Israel as a daily provision. It established a truth that Our Heavenly Father will intervene on our behalf on a daily basis. It further established our responsibility to seek HIS bread daily. How many have listened to revelation that is old and outdated. We must move forward to the next area of maturity, not just “camping out” at a previous spot where some life-changing revelation occurred. The children of Israel were told not to build houses in the wilderness and to be ready to move their “tents” as the Glory of Our Heavenly Father moved. Are you still living out an old revelation?
It is exciting to hear the next topic on Our Heavenly Father’s Mind. Following HIM is not boring. We are to become the essential expression of HIM on this earth. As we take on HIS Character, people will be drawn to us and will want to interact with us in a rich, rewarding relationship. We may be called upon to distribute “bread” to others. As we embrace the willingness to help others, our own prosperity increases. We become vessels who will not allow resources to stagnate. We do not hoard up bread for ourselves in fear but acquire in preparation to be used as a blessing. There is a time to store and a time to distribute. In the story of Joseph, the seven years of plenty insured survival in the time of the famine. By hearing the Word of Our Heavenly Father, Joseph was able to do both(store up and distribute) in wisdom and at the proper time.
When we receive our daily bread, we are prepared for what lies ahead. What better preparation for the coming changes than to get a daily briefing and marching orders from the Creator of Heaven and earth! Bring on the day!