“Give us today our daily bread.” Matthew 6:11
Today’s readings remind us of the importance of prayer. In the psalm we are told that the Lord will hear us when we call and rescue us from our distress. In the gospel, Jesus teaches his disciples and us how to pray.
How often do you really think about the words of the Lord’s prayer? It is one of those things that we have always known, that we can recite without thinking. So today, let us pause to think about it. Particularly the line relating to food.
Give us today our daily bread.
We are not asking God for more than we need. We are asking for enough for today. Nor are we asking just for ourselves. It is not “my” daily bread that I pray for, but “ours”. Enough for everyone.
When her child Lombeh was sick, Amie put her trust in God, as did Sister Anthonia. When asked how she feels when she sees Lombeh now, happy and healthy, Sister Anthonia says, “I give glory to God. This is the work of God… Because I never knew Lombeh was going to be alive. I feel very happy.”
The answers to our prayers are not always so clear cut. We do not always feel they have been answered. Or the response that we do receive is not the one we sought.
Yet Jesus reminds us: “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him”. Let us try to keep our hearts open to let God work in us and through us. Who knows, we might even end up being the answer to someone else’s prayers.
Turn to God in prayer