Mensa Otabil - Give Us Our Daily Bread (10/11/2025)
Just to remind you once again that from the 23rd of June to the 1st of August, we have 40 days of power. It’s going to be 40 days of prayer and fasting; you don’t want to miss it. It’s going to be life-changing and revolutionary for many of us. This week, I’m teaching on prayer to prepare us for it, and next week, I’ll start teaching on fasting so you can learn how to fast. We go back to learning from Jesus about prayer in Matthew 6:11: «Give us this day our daily bread.» This is one part of the Lord’s Prayer that we know quite well, and most of the time, that’s what we want to ask for first—our daily bread. That’s what we focus on because we have a need in our lives.
So, what is bread? Bread, basically, is our necessity, the basic necessity of life. It is a symbol of everything that is necessary for us spiritually, mentally, and physically. Everything we need to make our lives sustainable is our bread, and Jesus says we ask God for our bread. The first thing you note is that we ask God to give us our bread; He gives us what is necessary for us.
Then I want you to note how the prayer goes: «our daily bread,» and in that, there is a recognition that other people also have needs for daily bread. So while we are praying for God to meet our needs, we should also be mindful to pray for God to meet the needs of other people. That’s why the prayer starts with «Our Father"—God’s family. Prayer is not selfish; it’s not self-centered. If your prayer is «me, me, me, my, my, I need, I need,» God doesn’t listen to it. He wants us to come to Him recognizing that we are part of a family and that every member’s need is important to us. There is a part of intercession when we are asking God for what we need. So we pray to God for our bread.
Secondly, He says we pray «this day,» not for yesterday or tomorrow, but for this day. We seek what is present and necessary for today. One of the things we do in life is that we like to worry about the future. We like to think about how it’s going to be and how God is going to take care of everything. Well, God has the future in control. All we ask is that He takes care of us today, and that’s why we trust Him one day at a time. If we can trust Him for today, we can trust Him tomorrow when tomorrow becomes today, and every day that is today. If we trust Him, then step by step, He takes us on a long journey without us knowing how the future will be. He takes us to the future and provides for us every day in the future. So, trust God for today.
Now, we don’t use prayer to settle yesterday’s scores or to try to equalize something that somebody did to us yesterday because we are focusing on today. When we start prayer, we forget about all the negatives of the past and focus on what God wants to do for us today: «Give us this day.»
Then thirdly, He says «our daily bread,» not just «our bread,» but «our daily bread.» That is the bread that is sufficient for you today. But something I want you to know here is that my daily bread will not be your daily bread. What I need for today may be different from what you need for today and different from what somebody else needs for today.
We don’t ask God to give us somebody else’s daily bread; we want God to give us our daily bread-what I need for today, not what my brother needs for today. God knows what you need for today, and it may not be the same as what someone else needs. That’s why you cannot be covetous; you cannot be looking around at what God is doing for other people and what they are enjoying. Trust God that what He gives you for today is suitable for you; it’s your daily portion, and He loads you with it.
Let’s pray. Say with me: Heavenly Father, thank you for my daily portion. I receive every mercy, wisdom, and opportunity you offer me today. In Jesus' name, amen.