When the Israelites left Egypt, they spent 40 years in the desert before proceeding on to the land God had promised them. During this time, God miraculously gave them food each day, which they called manna.
All they needed to do was go out in the morning and pick it up off the ground.
What is interesting is that they were told not to stockpile it and save it for the next day (except on the sixth day, when they were to gather enough for the seventh day, as well).
Regardless of how much each person gathered, he or she had enough to eat. However, if they tried to save some for the next day it would spoil (Exodus 16:14-21).
Does this daily provision of food sound a bit familiar?
When Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, one of phrases was “Give us today our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11 and Luke 11:3).
Of course, for most of us, the daily provision of food is something that we give little thought to. However, on a spiritual level, we do stand in need of other things on a daily basis.
This might be making God-honoring decisions, using our time wisely, not wasting money and using it for good and not selfish purposes, or making sure we spend time with God.
Regardless of the situation, be our need physical or spiritual, the lesson to be learned is to rely on God for what we need each day.
Rather it is a literal plea or a figurative request, we all need to say, “Give us today our daily bread.”
A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.
