Trusting God For Our Daily Bread

Genesis 16:1-2 Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.

In her impatience to bear children, Sarai intervenes to bring about what God alone can do best. The results are messy to say the least. Sarai is jealous of and contemptuous towards Hagar, Hagar is proud and condescending to Sarai. Abram is by no means innocent as, in acquiescing to Sarai’s wishes, he allows his wife to usurp his authority and headship. Furthermore, in the following years, rivalry arises between the two half-brothers Ishmael and Isaac. There will always be consequences of rushing in and attempting to take over.

Genesis 21:1 The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised.

Sarai failed to wait upon the promised provision of God. But her efforts were in vain because as the above verse states, despite her blunder, the LORD fulfilled His promise to this couple who were well advanced in years.

There is an interesting story in Mark 6:8-9 whereby Jesus gives instruction to his disciples before sending them out two by two. He charged them to ‘take nothing for their journey except a staff – no bread, no bag, no money in their belts.’ Instead, Jesus asked the disciples to depend entirely upon Him, rather than the ability to provide for themselves.

The more we take matters into our own hands and depend upon our own wisdom and resources, the less we rely upon the promises and provision of God. A self-providing, self-dependent people hardly need to depend upon God and in fact, struggle to do so. Jesus’ emissaries are to travel light, relying fully on God’s provision for their daily needs.

Matthew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.

Depending upon God for our daily bread is very difficult for us to do. Like Sarai, we would rather depend upon ourselves. Ever since an early age, we work, buy, store and gather. We are taught to be independent and look after ourselves, rather than be both God-dependent or consider the needs of others. We are born into a selfish culture, our primary place of learning, which skillfully teaches its willing students how to be selfish. But if we do not teach ourselves to depend upon God, our culture will assuredly teach us not to. We live life in a dichotomy. Asking God to meet our daily needs and then racing around as if everything depends entirely upon us. We ask but do not wait. We may wait, but impatiently, and often not for long enough. It is a dismal state of affairs. Well may we cry with the psalmist, “Lord have mercy on me!”

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

How do we live trusting God for our daily needs when the people we live amongst do not? Surely, we need to turn our eyes and heart away from what has captured our affection and fix our gaze upon Jesus alone. A lover captivated by another is not easily distracted. Instead, they are so smitten with the one they love they are satisfied with this one alone. As we fall deeper in love with Jesus, and less in love with having our own way, we find our longings are truly met by Him. Our spiritual posture changes. We will gradually become and long to become, trusting children who look no further that Jesus for our needs to be met. Have we forgotten that the One who fed up to 5,000 men (without counting women and children), on five fish and two loaves of bread, can do more than we can think or imagine?!

Oh, we of little faith! Our concerns, though huge in our eyes are but a trifling to our Heavenly Father. We wrestle and battle to find answers to our seemingly pressing problems, and yet in God’s time, in God’s way, He makes everything work out together for our good. He will do as He said, and as He has promised.

Isaiah 40:26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

Are you waiting upon God for an answer right now? How well are you waiting? With anxiety and a sense of struggle- or with peace and deep trust in your Heavenly Father? Let’s trust in the LORD with all of our heart, all of the time, for all of the answers. Our understanding is severely limited and narrow, yet God’s is complete and fully comprehensive. The God who brings out the heavenly hosts each evening and calls them by name, can be depended upon to hear our cry and meet our needs according to His perfect plan. Let’s join together in praying this beautiful Puritan prayer:

“Glorious Jehovah, my covenant God, All thy promises in Christ Jesus are yes and Amen, and all shall be fulfilled. Thou has spoken them, and they shall be done, commanded, and shall come to pass. Teach me to be resigned to thy will, to delight in thy law, to have no will but thine, to believe that everything thou doest is for my good. Help me to leave my concerns in thy hands, for thou hast power over evil, and bringest from it an infinite progression of good, until thy purposes are fulfilled. Give me the confidence I ought to have in Jesus who is worthy to be praised, and who is blessed for ever more. Amen.”