Next in the Lord’s prayer is provision. Jesus teaches us to pray something incredibly practical: “Give us today our daily bread.” He wants us to ask him for what we need. When we say, “Give us today…” we are practicing daily dependence. We’re saying, “God, I’m trusting You for this day—for what I need right now.” It’s a way of laying down our obsession with control.
The disciples would have immediately known what Jesus was referencing by praying for daily bread. As Jewish boys, they would have memorized the story in Exodus 16. After God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, they found themselves in the wilderness with no food and no idea how they were going to survive. They complained to Moses, wondering if God had brought them into the desert to die. But every morning, God delivered bread from heaven—manna—to appear on the ground, and every morning the people would gather only enough for that day. If they tried to keep extra for tomorrow, it spoiled overnight. God was teaching His people daily trust.
He could have given them a year’s supply, but instead, He chose to provide one day at a time because He wanted them to trust him for their needs. That’s still how God works. He rarely gives us all the direction, resources, and answers at once. Instead, He invites us to trust Him one day at a time. Like the children of Israel, we wake up each day and ask our good Father, “Would You provide what I need for today?” That includes food, finances, energy, emotional strength, peace of mind—everything.
In his book, The Circle Maker, Pastor Mark Batterson tells a miraculous story about the Dallas Theological Seminary. Shortly after it opened its doors, the doors almost closed because of bankruptcy. Before their 1929 commencement day, the faculty gathered in the president’s office to pray that God would provide. As the leaders gathered to pray, Bible teacher Harry Ironside prayed Psalm 50:10: “Lord, we know you own the cattle on a thousand hills. Please sell some of them, and send us the money.” While the faculty was praying, there was a knock on the door and a $10,000 answer was delivered. One version of the story attributes the gift to a Texas cattle rancher who had sold two carloads of cattle. Another version attributes it to a banker from Illinois. But one way or another, it was God who prompted the gift and answered the prayer. Most of our prayers don’t get answered that quickly, but sometimes they do, and it’s a reminder that God hears us when we pray, and he knows what we need.
Be Like A Child
As a dad of four children, I can say with confidence that kids have no problem asking for what they want. They ask for snacks, help with homework, rides, toys, and answers to a thousand questions. They ask for hugs, money, and screen time. If we’re honest, as parents, sometimes it can be exhausting. But Jesus said that we should become like little children. The Lord’s Prayer reminds us that we’re not bothering God. In a world that prizes independence and self-reliance, Jesus wants us to be like children and ask!
Somewhere along the way, many of us stop asking. The older we get, the more independent we become. We take pride in taking care of ourselves. We don’t want to inconvenience anyone or appear needy. We want to look like we have it all together. We secretly want help, but never ask for it. Other times we want to ask, but feel as though we can’t because we got ourselves into the mess we’re in. We mistakenly believe the Bible says, “God helps those who help themselves.” It doesn’t.
Scripture paints a very different picture. The Bible is filled with desperate people praying desperate prayers. Jonah prayed from the belly of a fish. Hannah prayed through years of infertility. David prayed while running for his life. Elijah prayed in the depths of depression. Peter prayed while sinking beneath the waves. The thief on the cross prayed with his dying breath. God has always welcomes desperate prayers.
That’s why I can’t say this enough: you’re not bothering God. Many of us assume God is only interested in the really big things. We imagine He has time for cancer diagnoses, global crises, and life-changing decisions, but not the ordinary concerns of everyday life. Does He really care about your meeting this afternoon? Your car making a strange noise? Your anxiety? Your diet? Your court date? Your speeding ticket? Your hangnail? But Jesus said that God knows how many hairs got brushed out of your head this morning. He cares about the little, seemingly insignificant things. Jesus is never annoyed by our requests. The Lord’s Prayer gives us permission to be needy.
Every time we pray, “Give us today our daily bread,” we are acknowledging that we are receivers and He is the giver. He doesn’t roll His eyes when you come to Him again. He doesn’t become frustrated because you’ve prayed about the same thing for the tenth time.
If you were raised in a strict environment, you might assume God provides like a thorough accountant, carefully measuring out the bare minimum and nothing more. But Jesus paints a very different picture. God is not stingy. He is a loving Father who delights in giving good gifts to His children. Think about your life. Have you really only received the bare minimum? Of course not. God gives us enough oxygen to breathe, but also extra to laugh. He gives us food to survive, but also birthday cake to celebrate. He has filled our lives with blessings we do not deserve and often didn’t even ask for. Sometimes His gifts arrive in extraordinary ways, but more often they come disguised as ordinary ones—a good cup of coffee, a conversation with a friend, a warm bed, a paycheck, or another day with the people we love.
That doesn’t mean life is always easy, or that we always get what we want. Pastor JC Worley, in his book, Deeper 21, wrote about three answers to every prayer. Sometimes when you pray, God says, “Yes.” But if we always expect a “yes,” we’ll be disappointed when God leads us down a different path, because sometimes God says, “No.” This is the answer we struggle with most. It can feel like rejection or silence, but a “no” from God is often His mercy in disguise. But sometimes what feels like a “no” is really, “not yet.” Waiting tests our trust, and deepens our faith.
So get comfortable asking. Be honest about what you feel and what you need. Jesus told us that our Father already knows what we need before we ask. That’s helpful. It means that prayer is not about convincing God to care; he already does. He doesn’t roll His eyes when you come to Him again. He doesn’t get frustrated because you’ve already prayed about it ten times. He doesn’t say, “Figure it out yourself.” He delights in hearing His children call out to Him.
God Will Provide
One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of the prophet Elijah surviving a famine. You can read it in 1 Kings 17. Israel was in the middle of a drought that would last for three years, and God told Elijah to go hide by the brook Cherith. There, God promised, He would provide for him—and he did. The Bible says that every morning and evening ravens brought Elijah bread and meat, and he drank water from the brook. I heard an old preacher once say that he imagined those ravens flying over King Ahab’s palace, stealing food from the king’s table, and bringing it to Elijah. I can’t prove that’s how it happened, but the thought makes me smile.
Regardless of where the food came from, Elijah had birds delivering his meals twice a day. If that’s not an example of God’s provision, I don’t know what is. Throughout my own life, I can tell you countless stories of how God has provided for me when I couldn’t figure out how He would do it. Sometimes it came through a new relationship that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Sometimes it was a random phone call at just the right time. Sometimes it was an unexpected check in the mail. Sometimes it was a friend who said exactly what I needed to hear. Looking back, I realize that each time I felt a little like Elijah. I didn’t know where provision was coming from, but somehow God always knew.
I have no idea how God will provide for you. And if you’re in a season where everything seems to be running low—your money, your strength, your patience, your hope—I know it can be scary. But I can tell you this: God has never failed to come through. David said in Psalm 37:25, “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.”
That doesn’t mean life is easy or that every prayer gets answered exactly the way we want. It means that God has a thousand ways to provide that we have never even considered. So as you pray this part of the Lord’s Prayer, be honest about what you need.
Practice:
Tell God the truth about what you need today—physically, emotionally, or spiritually?
Prayer:
Father, thank You for being the One who provides everything I need. Today, I choose to trust You—not just for the big things, but for the small, everyday needs too. Help me to live with open hands, not clenched fists. Remind me that I don’t have to fear the future or strive for control. I receive today’s bread with gratitude. Give me eyes to see Your quiet faithfulness, and a heart that rests in Your care. You’ve never failed me before, and I believe You won’t start now. Amen.
