I love Dr. Pepper. I think it’s possibly the greatest drink ever invented and that it is a staple for every special occasion. You can understand my excitement then when my brother-in-law once gave me a two-liter to take with on a trip to a theme park. Now I would not only have my beverage of choice with lunch, but I wouldn’t have to pay $10 for a small cup at the park. When it came time to eat, I pulled out my new prized possession and poured a cup for myself. Then my brother-in-law asked if he could have some as well.
I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had said no. He might have thought to himself, “wait a minute. Didn’t I give it to him as a gift? I am sure sharing a gift shouldn’t be a big deal.” That would have been a fair train of thought.
This reminds me of the line in the Lord’s Prayer where Jesus teaches us to pray, “Give us today our daily bread.”[1] It’s a line that has many important layers of meaning and relates to many Biblical stories, but the most obvious may be the story of when the Israelites were living in the desert after they had left Egypt and before they entered the Promised Land. The people were hungry and cried out to God that they would rather go back to Egypt than continue to struggle in the wilderness. In response, God provided enough bread for the people each day but commanded them not to hold on to any extra because God was going to provide what they needed again on the next day. They didn’t need to do anything to receive this provision except accept it as a free gift. God wanted to teach them that all of their provision comes from Him. If they look to themselves, other gods, or other nations, they are going to find themselves in a position of need.
When we pray “give us this day our daily bread,” we are essentially asking for a similar experience to the Israelites. God invites us to learn the same lesson He taught His people thousands of years ago.
This is an important invitation because we live in a world defined by scarcity. Our bank accounts have a beginning and an end (often they are way too close together). The world is only so large. The land can only produce so much food. Our entire economic system is built upon figuring out how to distribute finite resources. What God showed the Israelites and invites us to see today as well, however, is that He doesn’t operate out of scarcity. God operates out of abundance.
God doesn’t operate out of scarcity. God operates out of abundance.
I think this is both encouraging and challenging. It’s extremely encouraging because God promises to provide for us. We don’t have to fear tomorrow. We don’t have to anxiously look to other sources for our provision. It’s also challenging, however, because if everything comes from God as a gift, and we will be provided for tomorrow just like we were today, we have a responsibility to steward these gifts well. If scarcity is true then we should hold on tightly to everything we have because there might not be enough tomorrow. If God’s abundance is true, however, we are invited to live with hands that are open, blessing others as we have been blessed. We shouldn’t fear giving generously or helping others out because God is going to provide enough.
Think back to the Dr. Pepper I was given as a gift. It’s like our entire lives are a 2-litter of Dr. Pepper given to us by someone else. It’s all a gift. We are meant to enjoy it, but we are also meant to give it away as a blessing to others. And this is where things get really crazy. I don’t know about you, but whenever I have done something intending to bless someone else, I am often blessed in the process. It’s like I have half a bottle of Dr. Pepper and after I pour someone a glass, I now have a full bottle remaining. I poured some out, but ended up with more than I started with. If I keep it to myself and only pour cups for myself, however, over time I see that there is less and less in the bottle. This is why we pray for “our” daily bread and not “my” daily bread.
We were created to be blessed and to be a blessing.
We were created to be blessed and to be a blessing. They go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other, but when you truly engage one, you will also be engaging the other. Now I’m not talking about getting rich, owning a fancy car, and having a mansion on an island somewhere. Thinking of being blessed in that way is to miss the point. What I’m talking about is experiencing the peace, joy, provision, and abundance of life you are created to for.
So may we pray and experience God giving us this day our daily bread.
[1]Matthew 6:11 NIV
