The Azusa Weekly

“The Lord’s Prayer: ‘Daily Bread’”

By

June 29, 2025
Vol. 7, Issue 9 (Summer 2025)

Jesus taught us to pray:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

(Matt. 6:9-11)

This is where we pray for our daily needs. Notice that in prayer we depend on God “daily”–not just one or two days a week. There’s an old hymn I love that says, “I need Thee, O I need Thee. Every hour I need Thee.” We need God every hour and every day. So we should pray everyday and bring our daily needs before Him.

Matthew 6:7-8 adds something to our daily bread prayer. Jesus is showing how we should and how we should not pray. He said,

And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

This is the way Eugene Peterson’s The Message paraphrases it:

The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. 

This takes us back to the “our Father in heaven” part–“this is your Father you are dealing with!” You don’t have to pray good enough for Him to hear you. Just “pray very simply.” Just tell your Father what you have need of. “He knows better than you what you need.”

In the Old Testament, God provided the children of Israel with daily bread. Every day except the Sabbath (double the day before), God miraculously provided manna to rain down from heaven. God would not let His people starve.

Philippians 4:19 says, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Your Father knows exactly what you need before you even ask Him. Pray to your Father, and believe that He will provide.

~ Cooper