Physical Bread is Our Lord’s Priority for Us.

Jesus begins with the undoubted priority: our daily bread. But this surprises some. For this reason, many suppose that “daily bread” refers to spiritual bread, since Jesus called Himself the “bread of life” (John 6:35). Could this petition therefore refer to spiritual food? I reply: it might have referred to spiritual food and drink, but not in this case. You may think that God would put our spiritual needs first—as in praying for forgiveness, to be led away from temptation, and so forth.

But no. He Himself tells us what to pray for first. He begins with the body. The Lord’s Prayer deals with the whole man: body, soul, spirit. God chose to give us bodies. God gave Jesus a body. “A body you prepared for me” (Heb.10:5), our Lord envisaged, before the Word became flesh (John 1:14). God dignified our bodies by preparing a body for the second person of the Godhead when He came to the earth. So in this magnificent prayer, God begins the unfolding of His prayer list for us with a reference to our body. “For he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust” (Ps. 103:14).

But why would God begin with the body and not the soul?

The truth is, it is extremely difficult to cope spiritually when we are unwell—hungry, thirsty, tired, deep in debt, going without sleep, and having no money. I think that is why Jesus put this request first, prior to spiritual needs.

I think also that Jesus begins with this particular petition to let us know that God knows our situation and remembers what we are like—“dust,” as the psalmist put it. God knows we have to eat to live. God made this a priority.

I believe too that God put this petition here to remind us that there are starving people all over the world. When we sit down to eat, we should pray for those who have no food. I fear that most of us take for granted that we will eat today and tomorrow. It does not worry us. But it should at least make us grateful that we have bread on the table. This petition is designed therefore also to make us grateful and to pray for those in deep need.

Not only that, but when we pray, “Give us today our daily bread,” we should be conscious of the entire body of Christ. If there is one person suffering who is a part of the body of Christ, I should feel it—and should pray for anyone who is suffering at the present time. That is partly what is meant by this petition, “Give us today our daily bread”—not just my daily bread, but yours too.