TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
“Give us this day our daily bread.” Matthew 6:11
Read: Matthew 6:11
Listen: Matthew 6
TODAY’S MESSAGE
In Large Catechism, Martin Luther says, “When you pray for daily bread, you are praying for everything that contributes to your having and enjoying your daily bread.” Luther is saying God meets our needs through the work of other individuals. Not just the baker and the grocer, but all the way back to the farmer.
Most of us have no clue how many people God uses in our lives every day to give us the basics we need to stay alive, but also to teach, steer, encourage and enlighten us. In last weekends’ sermon, Pastor Jeff Manion mentions having breakfast at a restaurant where he could see into the kitchen. With near-infinite possibilities available, he realized how God used many other people to give him his “daily bread.”
Luther says God could easily put a plate of food before us without the contributions of other people. But he doesn’t choose to do it that way. God is infinitely resourceful, creative, and all-seeing in providing for us. Through the work of others, he masterfully weaves a tapestry of care in and around us, giving glory to his abundant love and attention.
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
Grab your journal and think through the last meal you had at home or in a restaurant. Write down each person or service that brought you each part of your meal from its beginning to your plate. After each entry—write, “Thank you, Father God.”
Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.
