The Daily Bread
About a year ago, I decided to do my first Whole30. One of the foods you are asked to give up for the 30-day eating plan is bread. But here’s the thing: I absolutely love bread. It only took a couple of days without it to make me seriously contemplate giving up and pulling into the nearest Panera. Needless to say, that month was a hard one. But the fast made me realize just how dependent on certain foods I had become, and each day, I had to make a conscious decision to stick with it.
In Exodus 16, we read about God providing manna for the Israelites in the desert. Moses tells them that the manna is “the bread the Lord has given you to eat” (v. 15). Each day the manna appears, and they go out to collect it. But God instructs them to only gather enough for each day and not to hoard up more than needed. The moment they got too much, the manna would go bad.
Like the Israelites in the desert, I often worry about having enough. I tend to look at what’s in front of me and fixate on what I’m lacking. But where we see too little, Jesus sees abundance.
One of my favorite stories in the Bible is when Jesus feeds the five thousand. In John 6, we read about the disciples fretting over how to feed this huge crowd of people. And then Jesus takes all they’ve got—five loaves and two fish—and He multiplies it, as only He can do. He performs this crazy miracle, and all the disciples can do is be in awe of what just happened. Because they knew it had nothing to do with them. It was purely Jesus. And He still does the same thing today. Jesus simply asks that we come to Him daily with what we have, and He will take care of the rest.
The same way God provided manna for the Israelites, He wants us to rely on Him even more than we rely on our favorite comfort foods to get through the day. When we pray, “Give us today our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11), we are asking God to provide for us in the present moment. The Lord wants us to trust Him with our needs today, instead of worrying about tomorrow (Matthew 6:34). We go to God each day to be replenished and renewed and to rest in His perfect provision. He alone is our portion (Psalm 16:5).
It’s no coincidence that right after Jesus fed the crowd in John 6, He tells them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (v. 35). Jesus knew that His body would later be broken and His blood would be spilled for our sins. And every time we take part in the Lord’s Supper, we remember His sacrifice. We remember that we are not enough, but Jesus is enough.
I am so thankful that the bread Jesus is talking about sustains us and satisfies us more than any earthly bread. As Jesus said, “Don’t work for the food that perishes but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, because God the Father has set His seal of approval on Him” (John 6:27). May we gladly receive the bread of salvation each day.
What does receiving “daily bread” from God look like for you this week? What needs are you bringing to Him today?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abigail is a 25-year-old freelance writer from Jackson, MS who earned her bachelor's degree in journalism and English from Mississippi College in 2015. She spends most of her time climbing ladders and recommending her favorite authors at Lemuria Books. You can read more of her writing at abbiewalker.com.