US AND OUR NEEDS

The first priority of prayer is God and his will; the second is us and our needs. This may seem surprising – one might imagine that humility should demand that others be given priority over us – but this is a rare occasion when thinking first of others is a matter of pride.

After God, our first concern in life is us. We may not be the neediest folk we know, but we are the ones nearest at hand. We may not be the worst folk we know, but we are the ones we know best and can influence most. There are many things we might desire for our families, friends, and even enemies, but to be great husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, friends and even enemies; these are the things we’re most responsible for. So, after the things of God, we pray for the things of us. And these things fall into three broad categories, the first of which is material needs.

Give us today our daily bread. Matt 6:11

Here, as on countless other occasions, it is hopelessly misleading to read Jesus literally. “Bread” is an obvious metaphor for all of the immediate needs of earthly existence. But two things we should note: first, bread is a staple need for everyone, and second, it is a daily need; daily to consume and daily to produce.

Community is central to life, and especially to life as a disciple of Jesus. And bread is a symbol of community because it’s much more than a thing. Bread is a communal activity. From grain growing, to milling, to marketing, to baking, to eating, it is something we do together. When the devil tempts Jesus to turn stones into bread (Matt 4:3) it’s not about the evils of fast-food. It’s about meeting his own needs by his own power. It’s about being self-sufficient, independent. Later Jesus will make bread (Matt 14:15-21) but for others, from bread provided by others. And when Jesus gives his disciples a symbol by which to remember him it is a simple meal of bread eaten together. Our word “companion” is, literally, one with whom I share bread, from the Latin word panis (bread) and the prefix com (with).

There is something radically communal about all our basic needs. Strengths and achievements set us apart, but needs transcend distinctions of person, family, ethnicity, race, religion, class and even enmity. To pray for daily bread is to acknowledge that we are, first and foremost, people like other people. It is to embrace the interdependence of all life. So, I cannot rightly pray for daily bread for me and mine while desiring less for anyone.

In the Old Testament book of Proverbs we read:

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;

if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. Prov 25:21

Admittedly there is a wry humour in this admonition as the next verse reads: In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head,... but it’s an irony born of the focus on a common bond that we have both been missing. Coals enough for everyone perhaps.

Father,

meet each need each day:

all the needs of all of us,

and all the days

of all of

us

.