May 6

God's Provision

Give us this day our daily bread. — Matt 6:11 BSB

If you desire daily bread and want to ask for it in the right way, you must ask as a child, and put the honoring of God’s name and the doing of His will ahead of your own needs. Implicit in your request for bread is the promise that you will use the strength it provides in His service.

Let us always think of God as the generous Giver. Too often He has been portrayed as harsh and demanding, and as a result, people fear Him and only think of Him when they’ve done something wrong. But we should think of Him as the Giver of all things, showering gifts on everyone with royal generosity. He gives sunshine and rain, grace and glory, His beloved Son and His Spirit, human love and friendship, and the food on our tables—everything we need for life and godliness. Whether we are awake or asleep, good or evil, pleasing to Him or not, He gives to us all. He gives to those who forget Him, and even to those who curse Him, just as freely as He gives to the saints and martyrs. We cannot earn, deserve, or demand His gifts, but we can trust that He will give. God is love, and love cannot stop giving without ceasing to be love.

Yet how humbly God gives! He is so great that His greatness is beyond our understanding. He dwells in the high and lofty place, with the sun ninety-seven million miles away from us. He has filled the heavens with countless stars, each with its own name. He measures the mountains and the islands like dust on His scales. But Jesus has taught us to say, “Our Father, give us our bread.” When we are overwhelmed by the immensity of heaven and the vastness of the universe, let us remember that God cares for the lilies of the field, the wings of butterflies, the food for young lions, and the acorns squirrels store away. It is amazing to think that from the very beginning of time, our Father has been preparing a table for us. Though we are the youngest children of time, we arrive at a table as richly provided for as those who came before us. “Don’t be afraid, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give.”

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me not to worry about tomorrow’s needs, but to trust You for today’s provision. Open Your hand and satisfy the desires of all living things. Amen.