The Fourth Petition: Give Us Today Our Daily Bread
Martin Luther had a wonderful way of expanding the understanding of each part of the Small Catechism. This fourth petition of the Lord’s prayer is no exception. He wants his readers to know what “daily bread” means; it is not just plain and simple bread but everything that is required for life “such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, farm, upright children, upright members of the household, upright and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, decency, honor, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.”
All of this God gives to all people, even those that would be called “evil.”
The focus of this petition is that believers would recognize all that God has given and receive it as a gift with thanks and praise. Luther even goes one step further adding that this petition asks for relief from the things that keep us from enjoying all that we need and have. We are asking that God would put an end to the barriers that prevent us from having what we need for today, whatever that might include.
It is easy to see that Luther’s interpretation of this petition is exhaustive in its scope. He does not stop at giving thanks for the bread but all that comes before the loaf is in our hands: flour, wheat, the fields where the wheat grows. God is involved in all aspects of life on earth, from the giving of food, drink, friendship and daily work, to the nurture of the land, as well as the blessing of a government that keeps order and provides stability for human community.
We ask that God would be a part of all aspects of life when we ask for our daily bread. Luther reminds us that when God is absent or “withdraws his hand” from human life, “nothing can prosper or last for any length of time.”
When we fail to seek God in daily life and invite him into all aspects of our existence, he warns, “this petition of the Lord’s Prayer (may) be turned against (us).”
In order to survive we not only need daily sustenance, shelter, work and family, but we also require as much peace as is possible, for where conflict, strife and war exist “there daily bread is already taken away or at least reduced.”
This state of concord in life concerns all aspects of our day to day living, moving and being from our activities to our associations. Among those people with whom we live, work and interact there must be a certain level of peacefulness and harmony. When conflict and discord arise among us, life is negatively affected. This is why it becomes so difficult for a church in conflict to do mission in the community. When people are stirred up emotionally, struggling to get along or move toward some semblance of agreement about issues before them, it is very hard to focus outwardly. We end up spending a great deal of time trying to settle down, to find some level of stability so that we can be comfortable again. Our emotional and spiritual needs may not be met as fussing and fighting take over relationships. Until we can move past the hostility and enmity, our daily bread is diminished in many ways.
It is our prayer then that as we ask for daily bread that we would receive with gratitude all the good things that God wants to give us, including a community of faith that is grounded in Christ, inspired by the Holy Spirit and working together for the sake of God’s mission in the world. Our prayer includes a plea that God would put an end to strife and contention within the family of faith as well as in human families, communities and the world. When we look around and see the wondrous gifts we have been given, we can rejoice saying, “Look, God did it again! He granted me and you our daily bread! He fulfilled his promise in the fourth petition again today!”
Image credit: transitionedinburghuni.org.uk
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