THE LORD’S PRAYER: REFLECTIONS FOR LENT (Reflection 5)

Reflection 5: 4^th Petition: Give us today our bread of the day!

[See Feb. 22, 2026 for translation and Reflection 1.]

The first three petitions put us in a right relationship with God.  God’s honor and agenda is primary.  The second three petitions turn attention toward ourselves, but they still require that we put God first.  Moreover, since these petitions are made corporately, they are not just on behalf of myself as an individual, but for others as well.

The 4^th petition is to rely on God.  The precise meaning of the qualification of bread by “of the day” (Greek epiousios) is not known because the word is so rare, but the general sense of this petition is clear.  “Bread” generically refers to what is needed for life, and the qualifying Greek word refers to something that is necessary in the present.¹  Therefore, we are to pray just for our immediate needs.  This point is developed in Jesus’ teaching that follows: we are not to store up treasures and serve wealth rather than God (6:19-24); we are not to worry about the future necessities of life, because that is a sign lacking faith (6:25-34).  In other words, the fourth petition takes deeper into daily reliance on God our Father.  Worrying about the future drags us away from listening to Jesus now and obeying now for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

I am reminded of a proverbial saying surely known to Jesus, a prayer of an unknown wise man Agur:

Put far away from me poverty, and do not give me wealth.  Give me my allotted portion of bread.  Otherwise [if rich] I become self-satisfied and disavow [God] and say, "Who is the LORD?"  Or, otherwise I become impoverished and steal and abuse the name of my God (Prov. 30:7-9).

When we focus only on our current need and entrust it to God, we avoid the temptations of the two extremes that Agur prayed to avoid; both wealth and poverty tempt us to forget God.  Indeed, these are the two points that Jesus makes in the following teachings of 6:19-24 and 6:25-34.

Once again, this petition is not as simple as it looks at first glance.  Spoken before the throne of God, this petition shines the light of Christ on our relationship with the material world.  Do we relate to it in such a godly way that we do not need more?  Are we content with "only" God?  Are our material goods received from God such that our free use of them in turn honors God?  Do we pursue material gain, or do we pursue God?  Can I pray without material attachments for myself, “Give me my bread of the day”?  Can I pray corporately without material attachments, “Give them their bread of the day”?  This petition is a prayer of transparency before God.  And, it is effectively a prayer for me, for us, to grow in faith, to grow in dependence on God and not on the material world and ourselves.

Journal Reflections

1.  This petition challenges me to look at my attachment to material things, to my so-called “needs.”
2. For the most part in our American culture we live submersed in wealth and constantly tempted not to rely on God moment by moment.  How are you doing with this temptation?
3. Are there needs of others that you think you should pray for?  Do something about?
4. During Lent, we are to focus on our dependence on God.  People often give things up for Lent as a spiritual discipline.  Is there any particular material desire/thing that you think Jesus might want you to relinquish for Lent – or longer?

Prayer quote:

There might not always be time to eat, but always He made time to pray.  (J. Oswald Sanders, Effective Prayer, p. 60.)

Notes:

1.  The Greek word (epiousios) appears three times: here, in Luke’ version of the prayer (Luke 11:3), and in an early Christian instruction that cites the Lord’s Prayer (Didache 8:2).  Attempts to explain it etymologically and/or as a translation of part of a Hebrew or Aramaic phrase suggest it refers to either a need at hand for subsistence or as a time word, something that is for today or tomorrow.  As I mentioned above, further teachings on themes from Jesus’ prayer immediately follow (e.g. forgiving, God as Father, putting God first).  One such developed theme is that of not worrying about the necessities of tomorrow, including food (6:25-34).  Given this context, it makes sense to translate our text as “bread of the day,” understanding “bread” generically as what is needed for life and our qualifying Greek word as referring to something that is immediately pressing.  Interestingly, there is a Jewish saying from Rabbi Eliezer, about the time of Jesus, that has a resemblance to what Jesus says in Matt 6:30-31 and that fits the tone of our petition.  That text states that a person who has a piece of bread in his basket and still worries about food for tomorrow is “one of little faith” (Babylonian Talmud, Sotah 48b).