[i]
Give us this day our daily bread . . .
Matthew 6: 11
I love bread. I buy bread, sour dough, whole grain, English muffins, and bagels. I make biscuits, cornbread, and muffins. The aroma wafts through my kitchen, and I look forward to slathering a slice with butter, jelly, honey, or fruit butters. I have nutrition plus “yum!” I have bread not only because I like bread, but also because I need bread, or at least an adequate bread equivalent, such as potatoes, rice, corn, dried beans, and other complex starches. These complex carbs are the one type of food everyone needs to survive. Of course, too much of a good thing tends to add unwanted pounds. The key is a well-rounded diet of, yes, complex carbs, healthy fats, and lean proteins.
I have an antique book, The Secret Service: The Field, The Dungeon, and The Escape, written by a news correspondent, captured and imprisoned during the years of the American Civil war in the 1860’s. He relates how they survived on nothing but potato peelings (Richardson)[ii]. “Give us this day our daily bread,” takes on an essential meaning in such circumstances. Many today are hungry throughout the world, attested to in the above hunger map. Even in our own country, despite the availability of grocery stores around every corner, there are still hungry people:
In 2025, U.S. hunger data showed nearly 47.9 million Americans facing food insecurity,
with child hunger rates reaching up to 50% in some rural counties
and rising situational hunger among employed, insured families. [iii]
Indeed, pray for and be thankful for our own daily provisions—bread and beyond. Take the opportunity to give, as well, so hungry people may have their daily bread. But are our material provisions the only focus of this prayer? I fear perhaps many people are on a spiritual diet, never tasting of the Bread of Life.
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life . . .” John 6: 35. Jesus tells us He is the life-giving eternal Bread of Heaven—our Redeemer and giver of eternal life. When we place our trust in Him, He gives us eternal life. But consider this: Jesus quoted Moses words (Deuteronomy 8: 3) to Satan tempted Him to turn stones into physical bread after forty days of prayer and fasting:
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Matthew 4: 4
God’s word is the essential bread—the sustenance for our daily spiritual feast as we walk in the world. Just as we depend on God for our material needs, our dependence on Him for our spiritual needs is just as important. A daily feast on the Word of God keeps us spiritually healthy.
Jesus is our Bread of life; Jesus provides our daily bread. Jesus uses the phrase “daily bread,” to show us, as Lee Jenkins, Atlanta pastor, says, “Jesus wants us to be dependent on Him daily . . . No matter how much money you have, you oughta approach God like a poor man” (Jenkins)[iv].
[v]
Challenge: Look about you. After caring for our own, do we see others who are hungry for physical bread and the Bread of Life, our Lord Jesus Christ? Are you hungry? Don’t go on a spiritual diet. Get your daily bread. God is our provider—Jehovah Jireh.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, open our eyes to the hungers of those about us, whether a physical hunger or a spiritual hunger. Open our hearts to share the Bread of Life as we open our hands to share a loaf with the hungry. All because of Jesus and His death for us on the Cross and His Resurrection.
~~~
Scripture quotations from English Standard Version (ESV).
[i] https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.5dbb877de8795be67134344556f945eb?rik=pVz78if9k37uMA&riu=http%3a%2f%2fhungerintheworld.weebly.com%2fuploads%2f9%2f5%2f4%2f7%2f9547678%2f4629131_orig.png&ehk=253U3I%2biid%2bv1OscVkIhdcYzdN2x5qhGaDpRZrLtzhk%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw&r=0
[ii] Richardson, Albert D. 1st ed., American Publishing Co., 1865.
[iii] usa hunger statistics 2025 – Search
[iv] Jenkins, Lee, director. Tell Him What You Want. Eagle’s Nest Church, Roswell, GA, 20 Jan. 2019, https://eaglesnestchurch.org. Accessed 2021.
[v] https://media.istockphoto.com/id/922653320/photo/two-beggar-hands-palms-with-cheap-bread-poor-children-and-people-donations-volunteers-concept.jpg?s=612×612&w=0&k=20&c=5UgMJv7LPRhewpUIPOVcDoR8xwRmDklalLneQ0VilBQ=
[vi] AI creation
“Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! Rev. 22: 20
