Our daily bread

[puddleglum]

When the disciples of Jesus asked him to teach them to pray he gave them a model prayer called the Lord’s prayer which included this request:

Give us each day our daily bread.
Luke 11:3 ESV

We ask this because our bodies need food in order to function properly. But we need more than just nourishment for our bodies.

Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
Deuteronomy 8:3 ESV

We are more than our bodies so we need more than physical food. The Bible provides the spiritual nourishment that our souls need. Failure to eat properly can lead to malnutrition. Failure to read and study the Bible can lead to spiritual malnutrition.

Learning what the Bible says isn’t an end in itself.

Be doers of the word, and not hearers only.
James 1:22 ESV

We don’t study the Bible just to acquire intellectual knowledge but in order to find out how God wants us to live.

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.�
John 4:34 ESV

In John 17:4 Jesus reveals the ultimate goal of doing God’s will.

I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.

This is the purpose for which we were created: to bring glory to God. We do this by finishing the work he gives us to do and we need nourishment for our bodies and our souls to give us the strength for this work.

When a Christian prays the Lord’s prayer and asks for his daily bread he is making three requests.

Give me the food I need to sustain my body.
Give me knowledge and understanding of the Bible I need to sustain my soul.
Show me what work you want me to do today so I can glorify you.