The importance of "daily" bread

Let me be transparent with you: one of the tendencies that I battle against is the temptation to look too far ahead in the future.  I can tell you from personal experience, if you do this, you will inevitably get weighed down with anxiety, stress, and uncertainty.  The reason for this, of course, is because the future is unknown.  The future is filled with question marks.  Can you relate with me on this one?  What is the remedy for this?  Jesus gives us the answer.

In Luke 11, the disciples present Jesus with this request: “Lord, teach us to pray” (verse 2).  He proceeds to give them a sample prayer that has been come to be known as “The Lord’s Prayer.”  In verse 3 He says, “Give us day by day our daily bread” (verse 3).  In Matthew 6, Jesus slips in the same model prayer in His Sermon on the Mount discourse.  There He says, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11).  I prefer that rendering as that’s how I’ve said it in prayer over the years.

Of course, when Jesus says “bread” He means more than just food.  That’s certainly included.  But it’s anything related to the necessities of life; such as physical strength, protection in a lethal world, spiritual reinforcement from the Lord, and financial provision.  I can’t overemphasize how important this “daily bread” notion is for me, specifically since my dad passed away, although not exclusively.  I’ve found that it is vital to focus on living life in daily increments.  I often say that it's “one day at a time."  Thank God He set life up in this way.  Otherwise, I’m not sure we would be able to function.  I know I couldn’t.

I have a caution at this point.  Living in one day increments does not mean that you don’t plan.  If there’s a blizzard forecasted, you have to plan accordingly.  If you are a student and you have an important test later on in the week, make sure you study, and get plenty of sleep the night before the big event.  “One day at a time” doesn’t mean that you allow yourself to get blindsided because you are so focused on living in the day.  Obviously you have to plan.

I liken this to a football team’s schedule.  I don’t know about you but I can’t imagine Coach Bill Belichick (or Dan Quinn or whatever coach you wish to insert) saying to the media, “I know we have the Texans coming up on Sunday, but honestly, I’m really thinking about how we have that big game next week against the Seahawks on Sunday Night Football.  And there’s that divisional game on the road after that.”  No matter how important those games may be their mantra is always to take it “one game at a time.”  In the same way, you can’t live tomorrow yet, you have to live today.  Jesus put it this way: “Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34)

Kevin