Jesus faced the temptation to turn stones into bread, to meet his immediate physical want no matter the spiritual cost. In answer, he quoted Deuteronomy 8:3, which was about Israel’s wilderness experience with manna (cf. Exodus 16:14-21): “People don’t live on bread alone. No, they live based on whatever the Lord says.” That story clearly lay behind this part of the Lord’s Prayer. We do not ask for a lifetime supply of bread—just what we need for this day.

• Jesus’ prayer taught that we trust God daily. We don’t wait for one of life’s sporadic crises to pop up, nor do we think of ourselves as “spiritually stocked up.” In what ways have you, or do you want to, make it a part of your daily routine to commit yourself and your concerns to God? What particular needs or concerns can you entrust to God’s wise, caring provision this day?
• As we walk with God, we look beyond the limits of physical reality when we “hunger and thirst for righteousness.” What are some of the actions or attitudes in your life that, over time, you have found “are not bread,” that do not satisfy? What choices can you make that whet your spiritual appetite, and lead you to “hunger and thirst after righteousness”?