Matt. 6:11 “Give us this day our daily bread”
After praying that the kingdom would be advanced, Christ instructs His followers to pray that their needs be met.
Notice how Jesus classifies the request. He prays that the Father would provide bread for “this day”, not the entire year or even the entire week. Nor does He pray that the father would provide this day’s feast. No, simply bread will suffice.
Jesus is not advocating a gluten-only diet. He is instead trusting that God will provide enough to meet today’s needs, much like the Israelites were to trust God to provide for the day’s food via manna. There was no human guarantee that the manna would be there the next day; part of the exercise was to trust that God would provide for them in the future as well.
But why pray such a humble prayer? God could certainly provide a feast for months. Why should Jesus model a prayer that is simple, immediate, and moderate?
Perhaps for the same reason God often does not provide large excesses in material goods: He wants us to be content with our needs being met. We forget, in the rich, powerful West, that power is dangerous. Riches are also dangerous, for they are a form of power. They are not evil in themselves, but they do carry an intrinsic risk. The more we have, the more we want, and the harder they are to let go. They can become a drug, drawing us further and further in their power.
Perhaps, like Solomon in Proverbs 30:8, we too should want neither riches nor poverty, but to have our needs met and serve the Lord.