This line in a familiar passage of scripture jumped out at me this morning! It wasn’t a new thought that I could trust God for provisions, food to eat and those things that are vital for our lives to continue. It was the word “Daily”!!
I thought of my pantry, refrigerator and the large freezer downstairs filled with more food than 2 people could possibly eat in a week let alone a day. Maybe it was my upbringing in a post depression generation where fear of hunger still nibbled the sense of security in my grandparents and parents and thus gained access to my state of mind. Maybe it was just my own sense of never being (which often meant having) enough. Perhaps there was a hidden hoarder tendency even though my house didn’t particular reveal that. But, I obviously don’t have to worry about provisions today and probably not for many days.
I thought of those I knew who don’t have the place, or the resources or the availability of the basics of life. On the news, I see the hordes of people from countries where starvation is forcing people out of their lands to come to a place they see as abundant. I know that not far from my home are people living on streets, going to missions for food and struggling each day. I have a friend, rejected by family, who finds herself among them. I get involved because this is NOT acceptable! But I also struggle to know what is the best way to actually make a difference. How does one really bring change?
I think of how my parents spent most of their lives growing food. So much time spent planting, nurturing, harvesting and preparing food to be stored away. I loved going to the basement of our farmhouse and seeing the jars of food, sealed and succulent. I joined in the effort, in the moment caught up in the work and the push to prepare for later. Is this how God does it? Through our focus and hard work? It made me wonder who then was providing? Where do our efforts fit in the promise?
Jesus knew how to live in the here and now. He didn’t promise that my hoarding or my gathering and putting away would provide what I needed. He knew that many would not have stored supplies or freezers filled with food. He asks us to pray for DAILY bread. It is our focus that needs an overhaul.
One thing I know. God is concerned about where we are in the moment. He knows what we need today. Whether it is something to support us physically, encouragement and inspiration to bring us hope, or relationships to help us bear our load. He focuses on the current moment, the present need. The urgency of time speeding by doesn’t concern Him! He brings what we need in the moment that we need it most.
And that is what allows me to relax and just concern myself with what my next right step is! If it important to plan, God will provide the vision as He did with Joseph, newly placed in Pharaoh’s court to manage the kingdom’s resources. I cannot always predict or know BUT GOD does. He gives me in the moment what I will need in the next.
And as I clean out my overstuffed closet to donate to another’s need; or reassess my grocery list, I can let go of the fear of not having (being) enough. I can rest in the promise of “Daily Bread”. Enough for the moment. And anxiety is released into the flow of a Father’s love.