There’s something beautiful and challenging about the next part of the Lord’s Prayer: “Give us today…” Not tomorrow. Not next week. Not forever. Just today. We live in a world that constantly pulls us out of the present; our minds are often anywhere but here. But when Jesus teaches us to pray, He reminds us that God works in the now. He wants to meet you in this moment, not in the what-ifs of the future or the what-could-have-beens of the past. Today is where He is active.
There’s an old saying: “Be where your feet are.” I think we would all agree that’s a great way to live, but the problem is that modern life makes it increasingly difficult. Our phones constantly invite us to think about other places or possibilities, and our responsibilities force us to always be planning for and worrying about the future. But God’s presence is in the moment you are in. As philosopher Dallas Willard reminds us, “God has yet to bless anyone except where they actually are.” One study found that the average person spends nearly half of their waking hours thinking about something other than what they are currently doing. In other words, even when we’re sitting in a meeting, eating dinner with our family, on a date with our spouse, talking to a friend, or praying, our minds are often somewhere else. Maybe that’s why so many of us feel exhausted all the time—we’re trying to carry three days at once. We carry yesterday, with its regrets and disappointments. We carry tomorrow, with its uncertainties and fears. Then we wonder why today feels so heavy. But Jesus offers us a different way. He wants to “give us today.”
Notice that He didn’t teach us to pray, “Give us this month our daily bread,” or, “Give us this year our daily bread.” He taught us to pray one day at a time. God gives grace in daily portions. But we don’t always like that—we want certainty and guarantees, and we want to know how everything will work out. But faith requires willingness to trust God with information we don’t have. On the other hand, “today” can sometimes seem too big to keep us present in the moment. So many different things happen in 24 hours that it is easy to be thinking about later today instead of right now. How many times have you opened your Bible while thinking about your schedule? How many times have you started praying only to realize five minutes later that your mind had wandered somewhere else?
I think technology makes it harder now than ever before to stay present. Researchers studying parent-child interactions have found that when parents are absorbed in their phones, communication with their children decreases significantly. They have even coined a term—technoference—for when technology interferes with human relationships. The same principle is true in our relationship with God. God is always present; the question is whether we are.
Be Present
Sometimes the great enemy of spiritual growth is not rebellion, but distraction. We rush from one thing to the next, constantly checking notifications, thinking about tomorrow, replaying what already happened, and missing the life God has placed directly in front of us. As Corrie ten Boom once said, if the devil can’t make you sin, he’ll make you busy.
Jesus had a remarkable ability to be fully present. When people interrupted Him, He stopped. When someone was hurting, He noticed. Even on His way to perform miracles, He paid attention to the people in front of Him rather than rushing to the next thing. Many of us spend our lives waiting for the perfect moment, telling ourselves we’ll be able to breathe when the kids are older, when the busy season at work is over, when the house is finished, when our finances improve, or when life settles down. But life rarely settles down. There will always be another challenge waiting around the corner. That’s why we have to receive today as a gift.
One of the most famous Christian books, The Practice of the Presence of God, compiles the teachings of a man named Brother Lawrence. He lived in the 17th century, and he wasn’t a pastor, theologian, or missionary—in fact, he was a cook and dishwasher. For years, Brother Lawrence worked in a monastery kitchen, washing dishes and preparing meals, and people began to seek him out for spiritual advice because he seemed unusually aware of God’s presence.
His secret was surprisingly simple: He practiced talking with God throughout the day. Whether he was scrubbing pots or preparing food, he viewed every moment and every menial task as an opportunity to enjoy God’s presence. He said, “The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer.”
Most of us divide life into sacred moments and ordinary moments. Church is sacred. Prayer is sacred. Reading the Bible is sacred. But folding laundry? Driving to work? Answering emails? Waiting in line at the grocery store? Attending the football game on Friday night? Why would God care about those things? He cares about all of it, because He cares about you.
I love the story about rockstar Warren Zevon. He had made it to the top of the Billboard charts, and had even been on the cover of Rolling Stone, but after a jarring diagnosis of terminal lung cancer, he had a new perspective on life: Enjoy every sandwich. Sure, it’s great to write hit songs, travel the world, and be able to afford nice things, but there is also nothing like the simple pleasure of eating a sandwich. Every moment becomes sacred when you remember that God is there with you.
The Gift of Today
I think there’s one more reason Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us today.” In addition to reminding us to be present, it reminds us that today is a gift. It’s far too easy to treat each day as something to get through instead of something to receive. Imagine for a moment that every morning after waking up, you went to your front door and found a gift with your name on it. In a way, that’s what God’s mercy is like. Jeremiah told us that God’s mercies are “new every morning.” We’re worried about next week’s meeting, next month’s bills, next year’s plans, or some future problem that may never happen. Meanwhile, God is trying to give you something today.
Maybe today’s gift is strength for a difficult conversation, or courage to take the next step. Maybe it’s peace in the middle of uncertainty, or the sound of a child’s laugh. God’s blessings are often disguised as ordinary moments, and the older I get, the more I realize that many of the moments I rushed through have become the moments I wanted back. One day, you’ll wish you could have one more conversation with someone you love, one more dinner around the table, one more bedtime routine with your children, one more sports practice, one more date night, or one more grocery run.
Because I have three grandkids now, things are often pretty chaotic in our family. When the TV is blaring, the kids are screaming, and we need diapers, bottles, or naps, it’s become a running joke that my daughter, Brooklyn, will start singing the country song, “You’re Gonna Miss This.” She’s joking, but it’s true. Let’s be careful not to always wish we were somewhere else. Ask God to “give you today,” and receive it as the gift that it is.
Practice:
Take a deep breath. Slow down. Ask yourself: What am I thinking about that’s taking my attention from what’s happening right now? Give that thought to God.
Prayer:
God, thank You for today. I confess that I often live in the past or worry about the future, but right now, I choose to be present. Help me receive today as a gift—to walk with You moment by moment, and to recognize Your goodness in the simple things. Quiet my heart and focus my mind. Thank You for being with me right here, right now. Amen.
