In the Lord’s model example of how to pray, the entire prayer acknowledges human dependency on God and His power to provide for all our needs. This particular part of the prayer declares our dependency on Him for the personal physical needs of daily life.  When God provided the manna in the wilderness, He told Moses that the people would gather a day’s portion every day (cf. Ex. 16:4). Instead of storing more than was needed in a twenty-four-hour period, dependency on God was the daily expectation. There was no need to store it because God promised daily provision and the people were expected to have faith in the promise of God. Paul wrote, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6, ESV). Their faith was being put to the test and immediately individuals kept some until the next day. But, it became foul and worm-infested. Rather than depending on God for daily provisions and acknowledging that dependency each day, man has a tendency to “lay up goods for many days” (cf. Luke 12:19). One might be confused about why a farmer would harvest his crops to place in barns if it’s wrong to store up for tomorrow. Practically, a farmer has only so many opportunities for an annual harvest. He may have two a year, but certainly, the harvest is not daily as in the case of the manna. The difference is that the rich farmer of Luke 12:13-20 was a hoarder because of the fear of running out. This scurring around for more and more of this world’s goods is the result of faithless worry. It becomes a way of life instead of trusting God as a way of life. Jesus teaches this same lesson as recorded in the same text as our study (Matthew 6:25-34). These needs of daily life are promised to us by God. Our role is to plant and water for God to give the increase. Then, we must harvest it so that all along the way God expects us to work together with him (cf. 2 Cor. 6:1-3). The provisions of the body’s health, the sun and rain, and harvest days are all in God’s hand. The day of harvest would neither come without His provisions or our labor. While it takes both, no disciple of Christ would forget the One who makes “all things possible” (cf. Matt. 19:26). Man can only respond to God’s grace. Any work in response to God’s grace should, by its nature, be an act of faith in God. It does not negate faith. The two thoughts complement each other.
In summary, the daily prayer of a Christian is one of dependency on God rather than being anxious about tomorrow’s necessities. Prayer releases us from worrying over these physical necessities. These concerns of the heart include our job, health, our business, and all things that are means to providing for ourselves. Lay these concerns at the feet of the Father and be assured that he will provide. We may not have the same harvest each year or we may not have a harvest, but God has the power to use other means to accomplish His purposes. Our job is two-fold: (1) work with His gracious provisions as a way of accepting them from His hand while (2) acknowledging our dependency on Him for these necessities of life in daily prayer.