BIBLE STUDY: The Lord’s Prayer - Week 4 -Give Us Today Our Daily Bread
The Lord’s Prayer • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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ZAKK LOWER THIRD
When Jesus teaches us to pray — He doesn’t only focus on lofty ideas like God’s holiness or His Kingdom. He also brings prayer down to the kitchen table. In The Lord’s Prayer, in Matthew 6:11, He says:
Give us today our daily bread.
This line is short and simple — but it’s loaded with meaning. Because here’s the truth: every one of us knows what it feels like to need something. We all know what it’s like to wonder, “How am I gonna make it through today?”
Now — most of us probably aren’t literally wondering where our next meal will come from. But the request for “daily bread” is about so much more than food. It’s about dependance. It’s about trusting God today instead of worrying about tomorrow.
As we always do, let’s pray the Lord’s prayer together:
LORD’S PRAYER GRAPHICS — FULL SCREEN
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
forever.
Amen.
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The main idea of our study this week is this: To pray “Give us today our daily bread,” is to confess our need — to depend on God for provision — and to find contentment in what He provides. Let’s dive in.
Notice the very beginning of this sentence. It says “Give us”. It doesn’t say, “I’ll get my bread,” or even, “I’ll earn my bread”. It says “Give us”. Prayer begins with dependence. And that’s hard, right? Because we live in a culture that prizes self-reliance. We love to say things like, “I worked hard for this. I pulled myself up by my bootstraps,” but Jesus teaches us that every good thing is a gift.
That’s hard for us, because we live in a culture that prizes self-reliance. We love to say things like, “I worked hard for this. I pulled myself up by my bootstraps.” But Jesus teaches us that every good thing is a gift. Even the strength to work, even the opportunity to earn—it all comes from Him.
Even the strength to work — even the opportunity to earn — it all comes from Him.
And so by focusing this prayer in this way — Jesus is cutting against the grain of our human pride.
THIS PRAYER REMINDS US GRAPHIC — TV
But this prayer reminds us that we are fundamentally dependent creatures.
Every breath in our lungs is a gift. Every heartbeat is sustained by God’s mercy. We don’t live by our own strength — even though we like to think we do. This prayer is an act of humility. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 4:7:
For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
Imagine somebody bragging about how they stayed alive without air. That’s absurd — right? We all depend on air — whether we admit it or not. Prayer is our way of admitting that we’re as dependent on God as our lungs are on oxygen.
So then how do we do this? How do we lay down our pride — and learn to rely on God?
First, we have to recognize the illusion of self-sufficiency. From a young age, we’re taught to stand on our own to feet — and to take pride in our achievements — and to “make something of ourselves”. And while responsibility is good — self-sufficiency can be an idol. Deuteronomy 8:17-18 warns Israel against this:
You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.”
But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
The first step in laying down pride is realizing that we aren’t not in control. We don’t hold our next breath. We don’t keep our own heart beating. We didn’t choose the time in history we’d be born — or the family we’d come from — or the opportunities set before us. Everything we have is a gift from God.
Imagine a toddler who insists on pushing the grocery cart alone. They stumble — and the cart veers — and things start falling out. Eventually — the parent steps in. That’s us — we think we’re steering life just fine until God gently reminds us that we were never meant to do it alone.
Next — we have to practice the confession of need. Here’s what that means: humility grows when we’re honest about our needs. Through this prayer, we’re confessing, “God, I don’t have it in me. I need You.”
See — confession isn’t just about sin — it’s also about dependence.
Psalm 40:17 says:
But as for me, I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; you are my God, do not delay.
When we confess our need — we’re stripping away the illusion of control. We’re admitting to God — and to ourselves — that He is the source — and we are the receivers.
So here’s the challenge — start your prayer with a confession of dependence: something as simple as, “Lord, I can’t get through today without You. I need Your wisdom — and Your strength — and Your provision.”
We also have to remember — pride hates weakness. It wants to cover it — or hide it — or deny it. But God does something radical: He meets us in our weakness and turns it into the very place where His power shines.
2 Corinthians 12:9 says:
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
Dependence doesn’t mean failure — it means freedom. Because when we admit we can’t — we discover He can.
Think about jumper cables. A dead battery can’t revive itself, right? It needs power from another source. That’s us — dead in our pride until we’re connected to God’s strength.
See — pride says, “I earned this,” while gratitude says, “I received this.” Every thank-you is a strike against our pride. Gratitude trains our hearts to see God as the Giver behind every good thing, just like it says in James 1:17:
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Maybe consider ending each day by writing down three things you’re thankful for — that you didn’t produce yourself. That type of gratitude re-centers your heart in dependence.
For some of us — laying down pride might be terrifying — because you’ve always survived by being strong — and independent — and capable. But the invitation of Jesus is not to carry everything by yourself. It’s to lay it down.
When we pray “Give us” in this way — we’re learning to embrace that dependence. It’s not weakness — it’s wisdom.
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The next word in this sentence from Christ is today.
Give us today our daily bread.
The word today is crucial. Jesus doesn’t say, “Give us enough bread for the next ten years.” He says, “Give us today.”
When Jesus tells us to pray for today’s bread — He’s reminding us that God wants us to live in that daily dependence. But this runs against our instincts.
This take us back to the Book of Exodus, when God gave Israel manna in the wilderness. They were to gather only enough for that day. If they tried to hoard more — it spoiled. God was teaching His people to live in daily trust — the same trust Jesus commands. Look at Matthew 6:34:
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
But we resist this — don’t we? We want security. We want guarantees. We want to see the whole map before we take the first step. But God calls us to trust Him one day at a time. Why? Because if He gave us everything at once — we’d stop looking to Him daily. We’d start relying on our stockpile instead of His presence.
Through dependence, we learn God promises us that He gives fresh grace for each day.
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Think of your phone battery. You can’t charge it once and expect it to last a year, right? You’ve got to plug it in daily. That’s how God designed faith. Yesterday’s isn’t enough for today’s challenges.
Instead of praying anxious prayer about the next five years — what if we pray, instead, “Lord, help me to trust you today.” Write down today’s needs — not tomorrows. And practice surrendering them one-by-one. Then notice how God shows up in small — daily ways. Maybe even consider keeping a prayer journal to record His provision.
Finally — we reach the end of this sentence. Jesus ends by telling us to ask for life’s essentials:
Give us today our daily bread.
Jesus uses the most ordinary image in the ancient world — bread. No frills — no extravagance — just the basic staple of life. And in doing so — He reminds us that God cares about the ordinary — daily needs of His children.
See — sometimes we make the mistake of thinking God only cares about the “big” stuff — salvation — eternity — and spiritual matters. But this prayer reminds us that He also cares about our groceries — our bills — and our gas tank. He cares when we’re stressed about finances or wondering how to make ends meet.
Philippians 4:19 assures us:
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
Not just spiritual needs — but all needs. The Father Who numbers the hairs on your head also knows the details of your bank account.
Picture a child asking their parent for lunch money. The parent doesn’t say, “Well sorry — I can only deal with long-term college planning — not small stuff like sandwiches.” No — a good parent also cares about a child’s daily needs. And so does our Heavenly Father.
But notice that Jesus doesn’t teach us to pray for luxuries. He doesn’t say, “Give us today our daily deserts,” right? He says, bread. That’s important. Bread is enough. And this prayer challenges our culture of excess, doesn’t it? We live in a world that teaches us to crave more: more money — more stuff — more status. But God invites us to be content with enough. Proverbs 30, verses 8 and 9 captures this beautifully:
Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.
Contentment doesn’t mean lack — it means sufficiency. It means trusting that what God provides is enough.
So this week — when you catch yourself saying, “I need that,” pause and ask: “Is this really a need? Or just a want?” And while there’s no problem in wanting things — we don’t let those wants control us. It’s important to train our heart to recognize the difference.
Finally — Jesus doesn’t say “Give ME my daily bread,” He says, “Give US our daily bread.” Prayer is never purely about ourselves. This means two things:
We should pray — not only for our needs — but also the needs of others, and
Sometimes the way God answers prayer is by prompting us to share our bread with somebody else.
The early church lived this out in Acts 2:44-45:
All the believers were together and had everything in common.
They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.
Think about a family dinner table. The food isn’t meant for just one person — it’s shared. When we pray for “our bread” we’re asking God to provide for the family table of His people.
If God has given you more than enough — maybe He intends for you to be the answer to somebody else’s prayer. Generosity is one of the best ways we honor that.
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This line in the Lord’s Prayer is one of the most powerful — because it forces us to recognize our relationship with God — and where we stand in relation to Him. When we pray, “Give us today our daily bread,” we’re confessing our dependence — trusting in God’s provision — and choosing to be content with enough.
It’s not a prayer of greed — it’s a prayer of gratitude. It’s not a prayer for excess — it’s a prayer for sustenance. And it reminds us that God not only cares about the big — spiritual things like Heaven and holiness — but also about the small — ordinary things like daily bread.
So the next time you eat a meal — pause and remember: this food — this provision — it’s from Him. And let that moment turn into worship.
Let’s pray together.
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Father, You are our provider. Every gift we have comes from You. Forgive us for the times we’ve tried to live in self-reliance, forgetting that even our daily bread is from Your hand. Teach us to depend on You one day at a time. Make us people who are content with enough and generous toward others. And above all, remind us that Jesus is the true Bread of Life, the One who satisfies our souls forever.
In His name we pray, Amen.
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I hope this week’s study has been both a blessing — and a challenge to you. As always — I’ve provided a resource guide to go along with this study — of how you can incorporate this into your life over the next week.
Until then — I’m praying for you — and praying that God’s will reigns in your heart.
See you next week.
