"Give us this day, our daily bread."
An EM mission trip team recently had the opportunity to work on a home in Port Arthur, Texas, that had been gutted completely down to the studs in some places. There were few remnants of what the home had looked like except for a few light fixtures, a brick fireplace, and a strip of wallpaper that hung above a doorway.
This wallpaper stood out to me first because it created such a contrast compared to the construction happening all over the room, but also because I was struck by what a powerful prayer it had become in the midst of the brokenness that had enveloped this family’s daily life.
It’s easy to pray for your daily bread when you have enough. We can repeat this prayer and “depend” on God to “provide” what we know we already have in the pantry—but what about when we lose it all?
Families in Houston and the surrounding communities lost everything in a blink of an eye. Homes, furniture, and personal items were all damaged beyond repair literally overnight, and many insurance companies have done little to help victims. People were left to scrape by with what they had and find a way to put their lives back together without the means to do so.
In the midst of this brokenness, a plea for daily bread is powerful. It reminds me that our God provides, even the darkest circumstances.
This prayer was answered in many forms for the families we served. First, in a literal sense of the word. Aid has come in a variety of forms, including help and housing from friends and neighbors, and these families are starting to get back on their feet. But I’ve seen God provide above and beyond repeatedly in the last few weeks.
Volunteers from around the country have had the privilege to be the hands and feet of Jesus and answer this prayer for families by putting their homes back together. What I’ve come to learn is that God is faithful and merciful to us no matter what we ask for. So, simply asking for our daily bread is enough. God knows our needs and will surely meet them—no matter how great.
The need is great in Texas, but so is our God, won’t you consider being the hands and feet of Jesus in this place?
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