DAILY BYTE
Today, as we continue to work backwards through the line of the Lord’s Prayer that we’re focusing on this week, we come to the words ‘this day’. Give us this day our daily bread.
The point here is revealed most clearly in the story of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness, being fed every day by the manna that fell from heaven. For them it was quite literally a daily provision. They were instructed not to hoard any of it, but to trust the fresh provision of God each day. Those who disobeyed this instruction found that the hoarded manna went bad and got maggots. In other words, hoarding stinks – it still does.
The lesson from the Israelites is this – placing your trust in God, not just every once in a while when times are tough, but as a continual disposition of your heart, allows you to experience the constant provision of God’s goodness and grace. You see, whenever we look to God for what we need, we discover that God has already poured out unbelievable blessings in a most generous way. But so often we are blind to recognizing this. By actively placing our trust in God as a daily disposition of the heart, we come to see in a whole new way what God is really like, and how God continues to give with glorious and magnificent generosity. And Jesus says, ‘Let this happen every day.’
Now some people miss the point of this and think that this means that you should not make sensible provision for the future, like saving towards retirement or for your children’s education. That’s not radical faith, that’s just silly. The point is not to release us from our God-given responsibilities to plan wisely and to be prudent. Our own responsibility, discipline and common-sense are some of the important ways through which God provides for our needs. The point here is to be released from the delusion of thinking that our security lies in our own plans and provisions, because ultimately our hope and strength lies in God alone.
As we take this more and more to heart, so we can let go of obsessing endlessly about the future, constantly worrying about it. Instead, we can look around at this present moment and recognize God’s goodness to us here and now. And as this becomes more and more a part of our daily experience, so we can entrust tomorrow to God, confident that when tomorrow comes we will encounter the same good and gracious God who generously gives himself to us today.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Gracious God, it is hard not to worry about the future. It is hard to live fully in the present, trusting in the sufficiency of your provision for us here and now. And yet, as we think back on your faithfulness and goodness, we know that you are an utterly trustworthy God. You never abandon us or forsake us. Help us to look to the immediacy of your presence and your provision moment by moment, and to be joyfully content with that. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READING
Exodus 16:13-20
In the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it they said, ‘What is it?’ For they did not know what it was.
Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather as much of it as each of you needs…’” The Israelites did, some gathering more, some less. But when they measured it those who had gathered much did not have too much, and those who had gathered little did not have too little, they gathered as much as each one needed.
And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it over until morning.” But they did not listen to Moses; some left part of it until morning; and it bred maggots and became foul.
