Give us This Day Our Daily Bread - Tim Horman
Have you ever stopped to think about where your breakfast came from this morning?
Not just which café or which packet in the pantry, but really where it came from. The farmer who planted the seed. The rain that watered the crop. The truck driver who transported it. The grocer who stocked the shelf. The government policies that kept the supply chain stable. The peace that allowed all of that to happen without interruption. When you trace it all back, that simple piece of toast on your plate is connected to an astonishingly complex web of provision, and ultimately, to the goodness of God.
This week, Tim Horman continued our series through the Lord's Prayer, focusing on what might be the most misunderstood petition of all: "Give us this day our daily bread." It's a line we can easily gloss over, spiritualizing it into something ethereal or reducing it to a quick prayer before meals. But as Tim unpacked Matthew 6:11, we discovered that this simple request is both deeply physical and profoundly political, both intensely personal and radically communal. It's a prayer that spans from the bread on our table to the systems that govern our world, from our own daily provision to the flourishing of all humanity.
You can watch or listen to the full sermon below.
The Prayer Shifts from "Your" to "Our"
Tim opened by noting a crucial shift in the Lord's Prayer at this point. The first three petitions focus on God: your name, your kingdom, your will. But now the pronouns change: give us, forgive us, deliver us. This isn't accidental.
"The things that we are now praying about for provision, for forgiveness, for deliverance could not happen unless the first three petitions are answered or are being answered."
Without God's name being hallowed, his kingdom coming, and his will being done, there is no provision, no forgiveness, and no deliverance from evil. The second half of the prayer is the consequence of the first half — it's what it looks like when God establishes his rule in the world.
Just as the two great commandments mirror the structure of the prayer (love God with all your heart, then love your neighbour as yourself), so too the Lord's Prayer moves from vertical worship to horizontal relationships. And crucially, the "us" and "our" language means this prayer is irreducibly communal. Tim emphasized that we cannot pray for our own provision, forgiveness, or deliverance without also praying it for others. This isn't the "give me my daily bread" prayer — it's a prayer for the whole human family.
This Prayer Is About the Whole World
If we're praying for God's kingdom to break in and his will to be done on earth, then our concern must extend far beyond our own needs. Tim reminded us that biblical worship cannot be socially irrelevant. As James 1:27 says, "The religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
You cannot separate how you treat vulnerable people from your worship of God. As Jesus said in Matthew 25, "Whatever you did unto the least of these, you did it unto me." The fourth petition, then, isn't just about whether I have enough — it's about whether the poor, the orphan, the widow, the refugee, the enslaved, and the oppressed have enough. It's about justice.
"Our worship cannot exclude a concern for the poor, for the orphans and the widows, for those trapped in slavery or tyranny or injustice."
The theologian Dale Bruner, whom Tim quoted extensively, argued that the worship Jesus teaches us is a force that makes for the flourishing of humanity. If our worship only serves our personal encouragement and joy, we've misunderstood what it means to worship the living God in spirit and in truth.
But God Also Cares About Your Needs
Having said all that, the fourth petition also teaches us something beautifully personal: it is not selfish or unholy to pray about your own physical, social, and personal needs. In fact, it's Jesus' command.
Tim cautioned against over-spiritualizing this prayer. Yes, Jesus is the bread of life. Yes, we need the Word of God. But Jesus himself ate real food, needed real rest, and experienced real human need. The Jesus who fed the 5,000 wants us to pray for our own needs and for the feeding of the 8.3 billion people alive today.
"It is possible for us in our reading of this passage to try and be more spiritual than God."
So pray for physical bread. Pray for real provision. Man does not live by bread alone, but he does not live without bread either. Jesus gives equal time in this prayer to our ordinary human concerns — not because they're as important as God's glory, but because we have a good Father who loves us and cares about every detail of our lives.
What Does "Daily Bread" Really Mean?
Martin Luther, in his explanation of the Lord's Prayer, said that when we pray for bread, we're praying for "everything that we need for our bodily well-being, for the preservation of this life." That includes:
Food, drink, clothes, shoes, house, home
Money, goods, land, animals
A godly spouse, devout children
Good workers, honest leaders, good government
Good weather, peace, health, law and order
Faithful friends, trustworthy neighbours
Protection from calamity, sickness, war, and revolution
This is why the fourth petition has been called the political and economic petition. It follows directly from "Your will be done," because surely it is God's will that none should suffer, that none should go without food, that none are exploited or left homeless or without hope. This is the shalom God intended for his creation — peace, blessing, prosperity, wholeness, flourishing for all.
And when you consider that righteousness includes justice (they're often the same word in the biblical languages), then this petition isn't just about the bread on your plate — it's also about how it got there. Tim challenged us to think about the whole supply chain, the labour practices, the economic systems, the political structures that make provision possible or that exploit people along the way.
"We are praying for our world to flourish and for everyone in it to have what they need and meaningful work to do and that the bread on our tables or the clothes on our back would not be the bread of affliction that has come to us by the suffering of others."
Five Things We're Praying For
Drawing on Darrell Johnson's work, Tim outlined five dimensions of "daily bread":
Actual physical bread — food in general, enough for our needs
Everything necessary for healthy functioning in the world — a balanced diet, good weather, farmers, truckers, grocers, cooks, CEOs, everyone involved in the process of getting food from the ground to the table
Spiritual bread — the fruit of the Spirit (wisdom, courage, peace, patience, gentleness, faith, hope, love), everything we need to live in God's kingdom and do his will
Jesus himself — "I am the bread of life" (John 6:35). We're asking the Father to give us more of Christ, to shape us into his likeness in every dimension of our lives
A foretaste of the future banquet — the wedding supper of the Lamb, the great feast in God's kingdom when we will eat at the Lord's table forever
When we pray "give us this day our daily bread," we're praying for all of this. And notice the imperative tone — we're praying boldly. The Father loves it when we come to him and ask for what we need.
God Is a Good Father Who Provides
Tim shared from his own experience. During years of church planting in Vancouver — one of the most expensive cities in the world — he and his family often had no money. But God provided, time and again, in miraculous ways. People would show up with envelopes containing exactly what was needed. When his mother was sick and they needed flights home, someone gave them the exact amount the very next day.
"I have seen God do this over and over again. I know he is a good father. And when we trust him and walk by faith, he provides for us."
As Jesus taught just after the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:25-34, we are not to worry about what we'll eat or drink or wear. God knows we need these things. The birds don't sow or reap, yet the Father feeds them — and we are far more valuable than birds. Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
This isn't an invitation to passivity — we still work, plan, and prepare. But it is an invitation to trust, to not be driven by anxiety, to recognise that everything we have is a gift from God. We only have control over this present moment. That's why the prayer says daily bread — bread enough for today.
Dale Bruner put it this way: "We are not told to pray for daily cake, though we may be grateful when cake is given. What we are praying for here is what is needful for us to live in God's kingdom and do his will. No more and no less than that."
Why This Petition Comes Before Forgiveness
It's striking that Jesus puts our need for daily bread before our need for forgiveness. Aren't spiritual needs more urgent? Yes — but people cannot properly hear the gospel or participate in God's work if they don't have enough to eat, clothes on their back, or a home to live in.
As James 2:15-17 says, "Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, 'Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."
Tim read a powerful passage from Dale Bruner's commentary:
"Few of us in the West can pray this prayer without guilt for being able to enjoy bread abundantly while such a large number in the world lives miserably... This petition forms a thorn in the flesh for its comfortable petitioners. No Christian can be content to have too much while others have too little... This petition should stick in the throat when prayed by full Christians."
The most desperately needed bread in the world is the gospel — but our gospel preaching is unfaithful when it fails to include concern for those who lack basic physical needs. The fourth petition is a prayer for both the bread of salvation and the bread of justice.
An Invitation, Not an Obligation
This can feel overwhelming. How can we possibly meet the needs of a hungry world? But Tim reminded us that the whole tone of the Lord's Prayer is one of asking the Father to do what only God can do. Yes, we have a part to play — but we're asking for God to do the impossible, to work miracles in and through us.
This isn't an obligation meant to crush us with guilt. It's an invitation to step into God's generous flow, to experience his abundance so we can be generous to others. As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 9:7-11, "God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."
God supplies seed to the sower and bread for food — and he will increase our store of seed not for our own enrichment, but to enlarge the harvest of our righteousness (or justice). We're enriched so that we can be generous on every occasion, and through our generosity, God's name is hallowed in all the earth.
"This is not an obligation, but an invitation to experience the abundance of God so that we can be generous, do what it is we've been called to do, live into the kingdom of God, and do the Father's will."
Or as Jesus simply put it: "Freely you have received. Freely give."
One Way to Live It Out This Week
This week, before you eat, pause to trace the journey of one item on your plate — the people, systems, and provision of God that brought it to you. Then ask the Spirit to show you one way you can participate in his generous flow toward someone else. It might be a financial gift, a meal shared, or even advocacy for just systems. Trust that God will provide what you need so you can give freely.
A Short Prayer
Father, we come before you with open hands, acknowledging that everything we have is a gift from you. Thank you for your faithful provision, for daily bread and so much more. Teach us to trust you deeply and to live with generous hearts. Help us not to worry, but to seek first your kingdom and your righteousness, knowing that you care for us and for all people. Give us today our daily bread — and make us the answer to this prayer for others. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Personal Reflection
When you think about God's provision in your life, where have you seen him provide in surprising or miraculous ways?
How does thinking about "daily bread" as a communal prayer (not just personal) challenge or change your understanding of your own resources and needs?
What is one area of worry or anxiety in your life that you need to surrender to God's fatherly care today?
Small Group Discussion
What stood out to you most from this sermon on "give us this day our daily bread"?
How does the shift from "your" (name, kingdom, will) to "our/us" (bread, sins, deliverance) shape the way we understand the Lord's Prayer?
Tim said that biblical worship "cannot be socially irrelevant." How do you see the connection between worshipping God and caring for the vulnerable and oppressed?
Why do you think Jesus teaches us to pray for physical provision before forgiveness and deliverance? What does that tell us about God's character and priorities?
In what ways might we be tempted to "over-spiritualize" this petition and miss its earthy, practical dimension?
Reflecting on 2 Corinthians 9:7-11, how does the invitation to be "cheerful givers" differ from the burden of guilt or obligation? How can we step into God's generous flow with joy?
What are some practical ways we, as a community, can live out this prayer — both in meeting our own needs and in being the answer to this prayer for others?
How can we pray for one another in light of what we've learned about daily bread — both physical provision and spiritual nourishment?