We are creatures with stomachs. Jesus did not give this prayer to angels, but to real people, and it encompasses the experiences of real people. Just as the first three petitions of the Lord's Prayer reshape our vision of God, the next three petitions reshape our understanding of our lives in this world. To grasp this reshaping power of the Lord's Prayer, all you have to do is stop and think about each word or group of words: Give . . . us . . . today . . . our daily bread:

Give: We are dependent. We have our hands out. The psalmist prays in Psalm 145, "The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing." We live daily out of God's hand.

Of course, it doesn't always feel that way. We work; we go to the store and buy our bread. It seems like it comes from us. And that's why we need to learn to pray the Lord's Prayer. Things are not as they seem here. In fact, we live our daily lives out of God's gracious hand. We are deeply dependent creatures, every one of us. If the earth cools just a few degrees, the whole structure collapses and famine comes. God uses sun and oxygen, rain and dirt to sustain our lives.

In this prayer bread means not only bread, or even food, but literally everything that human life requires. Bread, water, shelter, clothes---you name it. God does not want us to seize unthinkingly, but to receive with gratitude. Life is given, not grabbed. It is received from God, not wrenched from the earth.

Us: What an important little word. We remarked about it already in the opening of the prayer: "Our Father." Here it is again. "Give us . . . Give me. Our daily bread . . . my daily bread." How different they sound!

The "us" and "our" invite us to reflect on a powerful truth: Whenever we pray the Lord's Prayer meaningfully, we ask God to meet not only our own needs, but also the needs of everyone else in the world. This prayer makes me feel the hunger pangs of the child in Botswana, the nausea of the woman who drank filthy water in Haiti, the misery of the people who are homeless downtown. This prayer weaves us together in a single human fabric. The bread which we receive is also bread we share.

Daily bread: The phrase is a unique word in the Greek, but a recently discovered papyrus from ancient Egypt helps us understand what that means. It's a list for the daily rations for slaves, and it uses the same word for that ration. "Give us today our ration of bread." This word refers to our portion. No more, no less. A modest request based on need, not want.

Like Elijah waited at Cherith for the ravens to bring his daily food, we live day to day in dependence on the One who gives our daily bread. It's this posture that Jesus taught: "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink" (Matt. 6:25). The Father, who cares for the ravens, will also give you what you need.

That doesn't mean we eliminate planning or resource allocation. It does mean that we live one day at a time. We don't run around as though our planning will supply our needs, but with the deep understanding that we live each day with hands outstretched to our heavenly Father.