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Q 125: What does the fourth petition mean? A: “Give us this day our daily bread” means: Do take care of all our physical needs so that we come to know that you are the only source of everything good, and that neither our work and worry nor your gifts can do us any good without your blessing. And so help us to give up our trust in creatures and trust in you alone.
If you’ve ever had the opportunity to work with or visit Christians in any of the poorest parts of the world, this request and the catechism’s answer may resonate more deeply. So many who have had that opportunity share about the joy of those believers. They have such ardent faith and trust in God’s provision. They are content with what they have! The testimony of their faith is powerful. They literally pray for daily provision, relying on God. Not many of us truly feel as though we depend on God for today’s meal. It’s already in the fridge. Even next week’s meal might already be in the freezer – if not, it’s just down the road at the grocery store!
While I didn’t grow up completely poor and destitute, there were occasions when the fridge was near empty and not much in the cupboards. My family would pray during those times for our daily bread (and sometimes, it even showed up on our doorsteps in bags of groceries from loving friends and neighbors!). But I remember those prayers, because the need was real. Recognition of that need made it that much more obvious that we relied on God for everything.
This is the truth of the fourth request. We pray that God would provide, because, ultimately, he is the source of life. He is the source of all good things. Even when it appears that we already have what we need (in our fridges, garages, bank accounts, or retirement funds), we must continue to pray this prayer in order to see the truth of it: “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it” (Psalm 24:1).
There’s an important phrase in the catechism’s answer that is easy to overlook. It says, “so that we come to know.” We don’t ask for provision because God needs informing as to our needs for living. He knows what we need before we ask (Matthew 6:8)! Again, later in Matthew 6, after Jesus had taught the Lord’s prayer, he said, “32 For the pagans run after [food, drink, and clothes], and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.” We don’t need to make God aware of our needs as much we we need to make ourselves aware of who truly meets our needs!
We are constantly tugged and pulled to trust in people, leaders, systems, theories, or possessions. Asking for provision really aligns our hearts to trust him as provider. It also reminds us that what we have ultimately belongs to him. No matter the wealth we do or do not have, may we daily pray that God would provide once again what we need. As we do so, may the Holy Spirit remove trace of worry from our hearts that we can say with the psalmist, “Truly, my soul finds rest in God” (Psalm 62:1). ~ Pastor Tim