Give Us This Day - The Crosswalk Devotional - September 21
Give Us This Day
By Lynette Kittle
Bible Reading
“Give us today our daily bread.” - Matthew 6:11
Y2K, COVID 2020, and end-of-the-world forecasts all invoke fearful, self-preservation, survivor thoughts, and feelings of needing to store up supplies in preparation of a coming, looming disaster.
During the great toilet paper shortage of 2020, when store shelves, warehouses, and online shops were empty, people had to come up with creative replacements for it. From wet wipes to tissues to napkins, individuals found a way to make do.
It was easy to get caught up in storing up more products than needed at the time just to be safe and prepared for the unexpected. But where does being prepared cross over to being fearful, which leads to hoarding, greed, and selfishness?
Jesus Addresses Hoarding
In Luke 12:15-21, Jesus deals with this issue. “Then He said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.’”
“And He told them this parable: ‘The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’”
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.’”
Receiving God’s Bread Daily
During the Israelites' 40 years in the wilderness, God taught them how to receive their daily bread, one day at a time, giving us, too, an example of how to receive His bread daily.
Exodus 16:4 explains, “Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way, I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.”
Like the Israelites, we may not recognize God’s provision at first glance. Exodus 16:15 describes their first reactions to the new bread. “When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, ‘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.’”
Exodus 16:31-32 describes what God’s heaven-sent bread looked like. “The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. Moses said, ‘This is what the Lord has commanded: “Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the wilderness when I brought you out of Egypt.’”
Don’t Worry, Have Faith!
Rather than compulsively store up supplies, Jesus tells us not to worry about our lives, what we’ll eat, or what we’ll wear because life is more than food and our bodies more than clothes (Luke 12:22-23).
Jesus points out how birds don’t sow or reap and have no storeroom or barn, still, God meets their needs by feeding them. He tells us that we are much more valuable to God than them, assuring us that worrying doesn’t add a single hour to our day, so why even bother to spend any time worrying? (Luke 12:24-25).
Rather, Jesus said, “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will He clothe you—you of little faith!” (Luke 12:27-28).
As followers of Jesus, He tells us not to focus our hearts on what we’ll eat or drink and, most importantly, to not worry about them because our Father in Heaven knows what we need. Rather, God calls us to seek His kingdom first, and when we do, all these things will be provided for us (Luke 12:29-31).
Intersecting Faith & Life:
The next time you feel triggered to store up food or supplies out of fear, panic, or worry, thank God for the daily bread He faithfully provides. Ask Him to calm your heart and mind in these situations and help you to turn daily to Him in faith, trusting His provision for your life.
Further Reading:
Why Should We Pray for Our Daily Bread?
Photo Credit: Thinkstock/EwaPix
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
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