“Give us this day our daily bread…”
We have been working through the Lord’s Prayer and now come to the place where we ask for things for ourselves. The prayer begins with an intimate address to God, followed by praise. It then moves to being sure that our prayers are rooted in the will of God – that we pray that we want what God wants. God’s name, character and desires are the prioritiy of the first half of the prayer.
But now we ask for what we want (need). In some ways, because God loves us, what we need is also what God wants for us. Some have said that we pray for the will of God and then ask for that will to be done in our lives. These petitions form a sort of hierarchy of needs for life.
We first ask for “daily bread,” which represents the physical needs we have for food, water, shelter and the things that actually keep our bodies alive. This most basic element of the prayer is where we find the chance to move through the rest of life. Without these things, we simply don’t make it.
Then we ask “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” Once we are physically alive, our next greatest need is connection to other people. In a world where we need each other but also bump into each other, lasting relationships are grounded in grace – grace that comes from God but is then manifested in our lives. Just as we need physical things to stay alive, we need good relationships with other people to thrive.
Finally, we pray “lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” Some versions have “save us from the time of trial…” In either event, we move to an even deeper level of a full and meaningful life – one where we are confronted with choices. How we engage those choices says much about who we are and what we are about. In this prayer we pray for freedom from the things that hold us back and down (the forces of evil) and for the ability to make good and helpful decisions.
The prayer then shows us what the “kingdom of God” or the “will of God” looks like. It happens when people have what they need to stay alive, interact with others in ways that bring love and grace into all our relationships, and make good choices that are free from the power of sin. We pray this in the Lord’s Prayer – not only for ourselves but for everyone. In the moments when these take place, “on earth as in heaven” happens right before our eyes!
