Provisions from God
- JoAnna Brannan
- Feb 20
- 4 min read
Give us this day our daily bread.
I’ve been pondering what to say about ‘our daily bread’, the provisions we ask God for while we carry out the tasks of our day. To me, this verse is not just about sustenance for our bodies but also for our souls. Let me hit rewind in the old memory banks and take you back to basic training (what seems like a million years ago) with me.
One of the training exercises in that 8-week adventure camp included a night range simulating something akin to a no-man zone. Picture low-crawling below barbed wire with tracer rounds flying overhead while wearing all your tactical gear. Lots of noise, adrenaline, and cold as we dragged our bodies through the mud. Battle buddies in front, behind, and to the left and right. You haven’t lived until you try to keep a weapon clean while the Kevlar (helmet) keeps trying to slide down in front of your eyes. Did I mention we weren’t supposed to stop once we started? It was utter chaos.
The destination, you ask? The course: there was no turning back. Our only objective was the experience itself. We weren’t heroes, just a bunch of kids doing what we were ordered. If ever I needed an ounce of courage and sustainment from God, war simulations were it. This wasn’t the only one either; there were gas chambers, ruck marches, obstacle courses, and more. When I swore my service oath and got my report date, God wasn’t in my life. By the time basic training concluded, I was praying regularly for sustainment in any form.
Since those days in uniform, life hasn’t been too different from the night range. Each day is filled with a hard grind, day-to-day orders, and responsibilities without an option to turn back. Adulting is often a process of trucking along while we overcome obstacles or encounter the unknown while giving our tasks the best shot we’ve got. Sometimes, I feel like I’m still low crawling, and the enemy is taking potshots from somewhere overhead. After enough years of trying to conquer the course of life with my own strength, I’ve learned to cry out to God for that daily bread.
Guess what? He always delivers! Now check out what scripture has to say on the subject…
Psalm 107: 1-6
O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;
And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north and from the south.
They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way: they found no city to dwell in.
Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.
Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distress.
WOW! Centuries earlier, our ancestors were having the same experiences and passing forward tidbits gleaned from their experiences.
Before heading off to basic, I was given a mantra by those who had gone before me. Meal to meal, Sunday to Sunday. I anchored myself to those words, repeating them whenever I felt I might break under pressure. Today, the phrase has grown in meaning.
Meal to meal... food is not scarce for me. I eat three meals a day with snacks in between. Working in public education has taught me that this is not the case for everyone. Physical hunger is real, daunting, and a trial for those who experience it. It’s been a gift for me to “feed” my students when I could. I love that they feel free to ask, “Ms. JJ, do you have any snacks?” What a big warm fuzzy I get when I open the cabinet and dish out the goodness. I never really know if it’s going to be the last bit they’ll have that day; what I do know is that it’s my pleasure to give it. When we call on God to bless what we have or provide what we lack, God takes joy in providing from creation. Between us, I think His smile gets even bigger when we share with those who lack.
Sunday to Sunday… meant a day of rest from the incessant barking of Drill Sergeants back in the day. Today, it’s about spiritual rest. To set aside time to seek God, worship Him, and spend time with family—I can’t think of anything better. It’s a day to reset, refine, and release all that I’ve carried through the week. The older I get, or rather, the longer I’m on this course called life, crawling through the muck toward my destination, the more important Sundays become to me. I need a day set aside with the intention of, ‘peace, be still.’
So, this is our course, where we can freely tap into heavenly power that by design is here to sustain us. I look forward to meeting you at the finish line someday. Until then, let’s give rather than grumble. There is treasure in the trials; I know it.
On some future heavenly day, we will all hear the Father declare that we’ve finished our course and are welcome home.
When we gather at the fire ring next time, we’ll visit the forgiveness portion of the Lord’s prayer. Until then, my thoughts & well wishes are with you.
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