Why Do We Only Pray for “Daily Bread?”

One of the problems with learning to memorize Bible verses from an early age is that sometimes the words become so common place we forget to delve into the depths of their meaning. When I was a little girl, I loved the story of Joseph. Not because it was about God’s plan for Israel or about a brother who forgave, submitting his poor treatment by his siblings to the work of the Lord. I liked it because the younger brother got one over on the older ones. I almost wanted to stick my tongue out and tell my sisters I’d be ruling over them one day—like Joseph. Oh, the simplicity of youth.

Of course I see the story differently now as I pray with my sisters in time of need or rejoice at how God is using them. But when I was younger, I didn’t understand.

There are many things in the Bible that plagued me because of this lack of maturity. One had always been the word “daily” in The Lord’s Prayer. Why would we only pray for our daily bread when there is a lifetime of bread to be had? Did God want us to eat other foods on other days? I’m guessing not, since we’re expected to pray the prayer on a regular basis.

 In fact, that’s the reason for the daily bread prayer in the first place. Think about it. If God had given us all we wanted on that first day, or if we only needed to pray to never be hungry in one sitting, would we go back to Him tomorrow? I’m sorry to say I don’t think I would have. And as a result, I’d have missed out on a daily relationship with Him.

So, I pray for my bread (literal and figurative) every morning, and expect He will provide it. Then, tomorrow, I drop to my knees, hang out with the Lord some more, and ask for it again. I’m beginning to like these visits with the King, requesting what only He can give, because I find, in the time I spend with Him, I receive so much more than daily bread.



Connie is a 2012 Genesis semi-finalist for Women’s Fiction. She was awarded an Honorable Mention in the Winter 2012 WOW Flash Fiction Contest for her entry, Why Not to Kiss on a Park Bench (aka. Harold and Violet). Come visit her on one of her other blogs: Living the Body of Christ InfiniteCharacters.com