“Give us THIS DAY our DAILY bread…” Matthew 6:11
Dear Ones:
How important is a day, “this day?” If we look at it only from a human standpoint, a matter of just living it or getting through it, then we miss the whole point of it, and certainly the vision of its enormous importance. However, if we look at it from Heaven’s standpoint, it takes on a meaning that exceeds that of this world, and the opinions of men, for in it are possibilities of eternal ramifications. What is God’s perspective of “a day” as it pertains to us?
The first thing we need to see is that the “day” is a creation of God: “And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.” (Genesis 1:5) The “day,” this day, has its origin in God, with all that it means of wisdom, power, and purpose. We might say that the “day” is a measure of time that God has created, so that we, as physical beings might live within its limits, believing God to fill it to the full with His blessings, working, and the accomplishment of His purposes.
On this side of the Fall, or Adam’s disobedience and consequent judgement from God, we discover that the “day” has not ceased to possess its original purpose. With the backdrop of darkness, Light has shown time and space, in “this day,” not only in the creation, but primarily in the person of Jesus Christ. Christ has stepped into time, into “this day,” so that God’s purpose for the creation of the day can, and will be fully realized. So, the second thing that we need to grasp is that, in spite of the sin and suffering of this fallen world, the Eternal God has not changed His mind concerning the use and purpose of “this day.” What He has revealed to us is that Christ is the only way to understand what that purpose is, and the only means by which it can be realized.
In Jesus’ model prayer, which we call the Lord’s Prayer, He prays: “Give us THIS DAY our daily bread.” If we are to live “this day,” worthy of God’s purpose, then we must see that ALL means by which to live it must come from Him. “DAILY bread” means exactly what it says. Every day, “this day,” we need to receive from God both physical food, and heavenly food. Did not Jesus say, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God?” (Luke 4:4) Both are essential, and both must be sought from God.
In the matter of seeking, the Psalmist says: “Early will I seek Thee…,” and then again, “…satisfy us early with Thy mercies.” Why do we mention the matter of seeking the Lord early? The “day” has a beginning. The dawn is God’s beginning. “So, is it not the most normal of disciplines to seek the Lord FIRST in the day, to find the Lord as our daily bread from heaven, and believe Him for the physical bread for the day?
Lastly, If this day is to be well spent, and “filled up,” then we need to be filled with Christ, by His Spirit. This is the most “normal” of conditions of the believer, and that which is the purpose of God. If God’s will is to be “done on earth, as it is in heaven,” then there must be a life lived BY trusting the Spirit for His fulness, His fresh anointing, His strengthening, and guidance…this day.
Dear Father, fill us with Thy Spirit, that this day will be FILLED with Christ. Give us grace to use well the time of “this day,” receiving all from Thee as we go forth believing in Thy sufficiency. We praise Thee for “this day,” and the possibilities in it for your glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Love, Dad