Give us today our daily bread
Just the one line today....call it your mid-week kick back.
Although I could have easily used more lines and included the reprise part of the prayer as well, I did give this some thinking time. Who am I to deny giving the trade I belong to it's shining glory in the prayer of prayers!! Bakers rule and God's only son has blessed us forever. Our highest honour...in case you were wondering is called the Worshipful Company of Bakers and dates back to the 12th Century.
But let’s leave me and my baking to one side. Ever since I was a child, this line has perplexed me. Give us today our daily bread. Was God filling my bread bin with Mothers Pride (Kingsmill to those younger than 35)? That can’t be right, I see my mum buying bread every couple of days. Nobody really explained it at school, or if they did, it didn't leave a lasting impression on me.
It wasn't until I was on an Alpha course (and this is why I think you should go to Alpha every 5 to 10 years, consider it a Christian Mechanical Service, it tunes you up, oils the wheels and makes you feel an awful lot better in your faith) that I began to understand this better.
There are many stories in the bible about food. And God providing the birds of the sky for one. But there is also the passage that says “man cannot live by bread alone”....whoa hold on, Jesus tells us to ask for our daily bread and Matthew is telling us God said we can't live by bread alone?
Alpha straightened this out for me. Jesus is the bread of life and by accepting him he will feed us spiritually forever. God is giving us the opportunity to share in him a heavenly feast. He can feed us, but it’s up to us whether we chew and swallow the food or spit the out.
Father, thank you for providing me with spiritual food to feast upon, more than I can possibly eat. Encourage me to eat daily and help me understand on a daily basis. Amen.
Steve Fogo
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