Give us this day our daily bread. ~ Matthew 6:11 KJV

In my email, similarly to yours, there were hundreds of “call to action” emails, all wanting me to “hurry up and buy” whatever they were selling. Even amid the migraine I had yesterday, I heard the scream of panic yelling at me to rush and beg people to buy my book – like Manu of the emails in my inbox. I also heard it yelling at me for not making it into an e-book, as it would have made the perfect gift, but now it’s too late… And then… I heard my Lord’s gentle, calming voice, reassuring me that He would provide. 

Yesterday, I was awake in the wee hours of the morning, studying everything prompted in the Lord’s Prayer. I reviewed some things I knew and learned many things I didn’t. 

• “Trespass” means to “pass over, go beyond one’s own right in place or act; to injur another;” and (this is the part that got me) “to do that which annoys or inconveniences another…”
• “Our Father”, prior to Jesus’s use in Matthew, was for “national” purposes. Jesus gave us the permission and privilege of calling God “our Father,” as an intimate, personal meaning. 
• “Temptation” originally had neutral content, which gave it the possibility of holiness (put to the proof, tested, trial) or sin. When we’re tempted and conquer it, we may achieve a higher, nobler “manhood”. We should remember that Jesus did not seek Temptation, nor did He fear it.

There were many more things that I learned, but surprisingly, I was never prompted to inquire about “daily,” though I did investigate “bread”. Under the definition for “daily,” it says, “the prayer is to be for bread that suffices for this day and next, so that the mind may conform to Christ’s warning against anxiety for the morrow.” In other words, Jesus isn’t just supplying moment-by-moment. He is supplying for today and tomorrow, so that I can hold fast to Him, and not worry.

If you’re feeling the rush of the season because there are only 3 weeks till Christmas, then you’re missing the whole point. Ironically, we almost always pack our schedules full of more things in this month than in any other. Instead, we should be pulling away from the angst and listening to the Lord’s gentle, calming voice who reminds us that He is our Father who longs for us to get to know Him on a personal level, and reassure us that He’s with us, and will provide all that we need.

If you like a “call to action,” then here’s yours: sit with your Father today. Let Him calm you with His love, take great delight in you, and remind you that He is able and willing to provide all you need.

Daily Bread ~ Pat Barrett, Kari Jobe