The phrase, "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matt. 6:11), turns our attention from the glory and will of God towards seeking the physical needs of man. It is God's will that we approach Him with requests pertaining to our physical wants and needs (Phil. 4:6; 1 Peter 5:7). However, praying for these physical needs should bring some spiritual truth to our minds.

First, we must acknowledge that all blessings come from God. He gives us life, and He gives us the things that sustain life (Acts 17:25; James 1:17). While we can work to provide for ourselves, we do not have the power to produce the food, water, and air we need to sustain our lives. It is fitting that we give thanks to God for every meal of food we enjoy (John 6:11; Acts 27:35; 1 Tim. 4:4-5).

Second, praying does not take the place of working to provide for our necessities. Since the sin of Adam, we have earned our food through our labors (Gen. 3:17-19). If a man does not work, neither should he eat (2 Thess. 3:10). Prayer does not do away with our need to work, but it does do away with our need to worry.

Third, God expects us to learn how to live day by day. Notice the wording from Luke's account of this prayer: "Give us day by day our daily bread" (Luke 11:3). Just as God tested the Children of Israel regarding the daily collection of manna (Ex. 16), so we need to learn to trust in God's providential care.

God created our physical bodies and thus knows we have physical needs. In praying for these needs every day we are reminding ourselves of our reliance upon God's continual care. How blessed we are to be "His people and the sheep of His pasture" (Ps. 100:3).