Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Praying Like Jesus – part 4

“Give us This Day…”

Skit…on Lord’s prayer

For three weeks now we have been plunging the depths of the greatest prayer that was ever prayed. AND, during our study we have seen just like the skit illustrated, that there is so much more to this prayer then we had ever imagined… Our text today is the next phrase in the disciple’s prayer; “Give us this day our daily bread…”

As I began studying these words this week – I once again found myself asking; what do these words mean? What is Jesus trying to teach us? What are praying these words supposed to do? How will praying these words change us? What things flashed through the minds of the 12 when they heard these words for the very first time?

AND – as I asked these questions, I realized that once again I was on a journey… a journey that I knew would be well worth the trip.

I want to begin today with a bunch of snap shots from the bible that I think will be useful in helping us understand what it really means to pray the words; “Give us this day our daily bread…”

Snap Shot #1;

The first snap shot took place over 3,000 years ago… We read about it in Exodus 16. Let me set up this snap shot.

By the time this chapter opens up, God’s people after 400 years of captivity in Egypt have been set free by the power of God. Throughout all 10 plagues (frogs, boils, darkness, death of first born) , the Israelites were protected & shielded as God brought both Pharaoh and the Egyptian empire to it’s knees.

NOW - after seeing all of that, after experiencing God’s provision first hand, after experiencing His protection and deliverance (so powerfully, so clearly and so recently), you would think that these guys would be willing to follow God anywhere, that they would trust him with anything. That they’d be confident that every single need they had, would be met – that God could handle it, right?

WELL – it’s just one month out of Egypt and Moses writes in Exodus 16;

"Then they left Elim and journeyed into the Sin Desert, between Elim and Mount Sinai. They arrived there a month after leaving Egypt. There, too, the whole community of Israel spoke bitterly against Moses and Aaron.

"Oh, that we were back in Egypt," they moaned. "It would have been better if the LORD had killed us there! At least there we had plenty to eat. But now you have brought us into this desert to starve us to death." Then the LORD said to Moses, "Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. The people can go out each day and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether they will follow my instructions. Tell them to pick up twice as much as usual on the sixth day of each week." Then Moses and Aaron called a meeting of all the people of Israel and told them, "In the evening you will realize that it was the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt. In the morning you will see the glorious presence of the LORD. He has heard your complaints, which are against the LORD and not against us. The LORD will give you meat to eat in the evening and bread in the morning, for he has heard all your complaints against him. Yes, your complaints are against the LORD, not against us." Then Moses said to Aaron, "Say this to the entire community of Israel: `Come into the LORD’s presence, and hear his reply to your complaints.’ " And as Aaron spoke to the people, they looked out toward the desert. Within the guiding cloud, they could see the awesome glory of the LORD. And the LORD said to Moses, "I have heard the people’s complaints. Now tell them, `In the evening you will have meat to eat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.’ "

That evening vast numbers of quail arrived and covered the camp. The next morning the desert all around the camp was wet with dew. When the dew disappeared later in the morning, thin flakes, white like frost, covered the ground. The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. "What is it?" they asked. And Moses told them, "It is the food the LORD has given you. The LORD says that each household should gather as much as it needs. Pick up two quarts for each person."

So the people of Israel went out and gathered this food--some getting more, and some getting less. By gathering two quarts for each person, everyone had just enough. Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough. Each family had just what it needed.