Every Sunday in many churches, people recite the Lord's Prayer, which contains this line: "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11). Then during the remainder of the week, most of them go out and earn money to buy their food. Secretly, they may sometimes feel like the ungrateful cartoon character who prayed before his meal and said, "Dear God, we paid for all this ourselves, so thanks for nothing."

How easy it is to give ourselves the credit for acquiring things we need—that is, until we're driven to our knees because of the lean times. In Deuteronomy 8:3, the Lord reminded Israel of their hunger in the wilderness and of His daily supply of manna to sustain them. Through this amazing provision God proved that He was their source and provider. He wanted them to remember that it was His power, not merely their own, that enabled them to get wealth (vv.17-18).

Writer Os Guiness recommends building a "ministry of remembering" into our Christian living by taking stock often, by keeping a record of God's goodness, and by thanking Him daily for countless tiny joys. These moments of remembering help us say a decisive no to self-sufficiency. Then we can honestly pray to the Father, "Give us this day our daily bread," with our faith resting securely in Him.  — Joanie Yoder