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She was only four years old when she died very suddenly and unexpectedly. It was a Sunday morning, and I let her go outside to do her routine: go to the bathroom, run like crazy, and bark at anything that moved. This morning was no different. The victim was a squirrel, and Zeelah barked loud enough to awaken all my neighbors sleeping in. And then, just like that, she fell over and died. Our good friend and veterinarian, Chelsea Peace, said it was a classic case of anaphylactic shock. Something bit her, and she had a violet allergic reaction and died.
Zeelah, like all pets, was very dependent upon us to take care of her and to provide her daily food. She was very domesticated, and if we did not feed her, then she would surely die of starvation. But feed her we did! That puppy could eat! But it was a sweet rhythm of life: we took care of her because we loved her. Now, let us transcend to a much higher plane than a man and his dog: let us talk about you and your Heavenly Father. However educated and sophisticated we may become, we are always still thoroughly dependent upon God and the gracious gifts He lavishes upon mankind. Everything we eat has in it the touch of God. Think about a seed and how that little seed goes into the ground and, given time, a harvest of grain or orchard of apples appears. Only God can cause something so small to erupt out of the earth and provide our food… and for all the non-vegetarians out there, only God could create all the diverse animals that also provide us food.
In this part of the Lord's Prayer, Jesus instructs us to pray to God our Heavenly Father and ask for our daily bread. "Give" implies that God owns everything, and He is the source of all we have. "Daily" reminds us to not worry about tomorrow but be content with what God gives for this day. "Bread" is not an allegorized concept referring to the Lord's Supper or a heavenly banquet, it simply refers to our daily nourishment.
Leon Morris insightfully comments on our text: "Until now the petitions have concerned the great causes of God and his kingdom; at this point Jesus' attention moves to the personal needs of the worshiper. It is interesting that immediately following the prayer for the perfect establishment of the kingdom of heaven and the accomplishment of the will of God we have a prayer for bread here and now. . . . The prayer encourages a continuing dependence on God; it does not countenance a situation in which the disciple asks God for a supply for a lengthy period, after which prayer he can go on for some time in forgetfulness of God. He depends on God constantly, and this dependence is expressed in this prayer." ( Morris, L. (1992). The Gospel According to Matthew (pp. 146–147). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press.)
This part of the Lord's prayer reminds me of another teaching of Jesus when He said, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" (Matthew 7:11)
Are you asking God for daily bread and good things? If not, do so now.
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