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Commentaries
English
Matthew
  
11Give us this day our daily bread.


Our natural being is a base to our spiritual well-being in this world. Therefore, as God’ children we are allowed to pray to our Father for the necessary support and comfort of our present life, which are gifts of God.
Christ was not dreaming. He lived as a real man on this planet. He had a body that felt hunger and needed care, attention and rest. He knew that it was difficult for the sick, the hungry and the weak to praise and serve God joyfully. Christ did not despise the human body. He made it a temple of the Holy Spirit and ordered us to preserve and use it in our service for ministry to God.
Jesus did not teach us to seek wealth and riches, so that our bellies might be filled with revelries and drunkenness. He did not guide us into asceticism and abstinence that we might imagine that we could sanctify our bodies through beatings, hunger and thirst. He taught us contentment to pray to our Father, “Give us our daily food, drink, dress, work, rest, residence and necessities of life.” The word “bread” covers all the bodily, spiritual and psychological needs of man. We are not animals that are satisfied only with food and drink. We need friends, books, art and health. This is why Jesus taught us to ask humbly and trustfully for everything we need to preserve our lives, not to boast or live in ease but to live for God and His service joyfully and contentedly with the necessities of life.
Jesus insisted that the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer do not mention the first person, “I.” He replaced it with the plural, “we,” for the Holy Spirit teaches us care and supplicate for others. God is not only my Father. He is the Father of all the faithful without distinction. His love is not restricted to me. It covers all people. The Holy Spirit frees us from selfish prayer so that we may not only ask for our own bread from our Father, but also ask for the daily bread and blessing for all mankind. He prepares us to share our provisions with anyone.
Man is not the master of his own life. He is neither the owner of his houses, nor the master of his time and muscles. He is a creature of God and a child of his Heavenly Father. This is why you are His, with everything you have. Your Heavenly Father created you for the service of love and He expects that you to share your gifts together with your brothers and sisters. You cannot ask your Father only to help you and save your soul if you do not ask the same for others. The secret of your success is to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, then the other things shall be added to you.
Since faithful labor is a condition for obtaining daily bread, we ask our Father to give other people and us an honest job.
Our Heavenly Father is unbelievably rich, but because of the greediness and hard-heartedness of His children, His blessings are often delayed. The Holy Spirit pushes you to pray for the hungry and the needy too. Ask for the daily subsistence and leave the sorrows of tomorrow, for your mighty loving Father cares for you.

Prayer
O Heavenly Father, we thank You from the depths of our hearts because You did not punish us with hunger for our sins. Please forgive us our selfishness and teach us to share our bread with the hungry and the needy. Fill us with Your love that no worries may disturb us, but help us to trust You absolutely in our life and death. Please give us enough money to spread evangelistic publications, as spiritual food to many. We also thank You for every help and guidance You give us. Grant every needy person an honest job that he may serve You diligently and persistently.
Question
What does the petition for “the daily bread” include?