This request marks the transition from praying God’s agenda into praying for our agenda. How do we pray for our physical and material needs?
Jesus taught us that it is appropriate and right for us to ask him to meet our physical and material needs. While he does not promise to meet our wants, he does commit to providing for our needs (Philippians 4:19).
He also taught that we are to view God as the source of everything we need (Genesis 1:29-31; 1 Chronicles 29:14; Matthew 7:1-11; James 1:17). Nothing in Jesus’ culture was more common than bread. The call to ask for our simple daily needs reminds us that we should not limit our prayers to big needs or catastrophic loss.
Even though God has provided for our needs, we are still commanded to ask. Asking is an expression of humility and dependence. We are to ask God to meet our material and physical needs so we can focus our desires on the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33).
Expressing our faith and dependence on God on a daily basis provides us with two important benefits. First, we can live with a confidence that is free from worry (Matthew 6:25-33). Second, we can live with a contentment that does not seek fulfillment from material things (1 Timothy 6:3-11; Hebrews 13:5-6). God is not stingy. He does not revel in our poverty. He expects us to make our daily needs a part of our daily prayer.
