Return: Daily Bread, Not Whenever Bread!
The Father’s Table
By Daisy Hawkins
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to make time for everything and everyone in your life, yet somehow struggle to find time to spend with your Heavenly Father?
We make time for work, family, appointments, errands, social media, and a hundred other things that demand our attention.
And then, somewhere near the end of the day, we realize we haven’t spent any intentional time with the One who gave us that day in the first place!
Sound familiar?
Here’s a question worth pondering.
If we know that our Heavenly Father loves us, desires a personal relationship with us, and invites us to spend time with Him, why do we so often treat that invitation as something we’ll get around to when we have time?
I think part of the answer is that we’ve misunderstood what spending time with God is really about.
We think of it as something we’re supposed to DO, rather than Someone we’re invited to KNOW.
And that makes all the difference!
Come Home … and Keep Coming Back!
In our previous blog, “Come Home: You Were Created for Relationship, Not Religion,” we discussed the difference between knowing about God and developing a personal relationship with Him.
But here’s something else I’ve learned.
A relationship doesn’t grow simply because we acknowledge that someone exists.
Think about the people you love most. How did those relationships become meaningful?
- You spent time together.
- You talked.
- You listened.
- You learned what mattered to each other.
Over time, you began to recognize their voice, understand their character, and trust their heart.
Your relationship with your Heavenly Father grows through spending time with Him, too.
And He has given us something extraordinary to help us know Him.
His Living Word!
Think about that for a moment.
The Creator of Heaven and earth has given us His Living, Breathing Word so we can learn who He is, understand His ways, discover His promises, and recognize His voice.
Yet how often do we leave that precious gift unopened while we go about our busy lives?
- Not because we don’t believe in Him.
- Not necessarily because we don’t love Him.
But because we’ve allowed the demands of everyday life to take precedence over spending time with Him.
And before we know it, days turn into weeks.
That’s why we need to learn to RETURN.
- Not just when we’re in trouble.
- Not just when we need an answer.
- Not just when life becomes more than we can handle.
Every day.
Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He included something very important in that prayer that He knows we need.
“Give us this day our daily bread.” Matthew 6:11 KJV
Notice that little word: DAILY.
Jesus didn’t teach us to ask for bread once a week, whenever it was convenient, or only when we were desperate.
He taught us to depend on our Heavenly Father for what we need TODAY.
Now, let’s go back to the wilderness for a moment to deepen this lesson.
In Exodus 16, after God delivered the Israelites from Egypt, they found themselves in a wilderness without the food they needed.
What did God do?
He provided manna from Heaven!
But He was very specific about His instructions.
They were to gather only what they needed for each day.
On the sixth day, they gathered enough for two days because the seventh day was a day of rest, the Sabbath.
Those who tried to keep extra manna overnight, contrary to His instructions, discovered it was full of maggots.
Why would God provide food this way?
Exodus 16:4 tells us that He was testing whether the Israelites would follow His instructions.
This was one of their important lessons during their time in the wilderness.
They needed to trust God for each day’s provision rather than depend on what they could store up for themselves.
And there’s a beautiful lesson here for us.
We cannot live today on yesterday’s relationship with God.
Now, don’t misunderstand me. The truths He taught us yesterday are still true today! His promises haven’t expired, and His faithfulness hasn’t changed.
But yesterday’s time with Him was never intended to replace today’s opportunity to walk with Him.
Every new day brings new decisions, challenges, opportunities, and moments when we need His wisdom and guidance. We learn in Lamentations 3:22-23 that His mercies are new every morning.
So why would we want to begin another day without spending time with the One who already knows what lies ahead?
It’s Daily Bread, not whenever bread!
There’s More to Bread Than You Think!
Let’s look at something Jesus said when He was tempted in the wilderness.
“But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4 KJV
Jesus was quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, “Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” NLT
Did you catch that?
God was teaching them something much deeper than how to survive in the wilderness.
He was trying to teach them to depend on HIM!
He is still doing the same thing with us today.
We understand the importance of feeding our physical bodies. We make plans for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We shop for groceries, prepare meals, and make sure we have something to eat.
But what about feeding our soul with His Daily Bread and Living Water?
How much attention do we give to the Word that teaches us who our Heavenly Father is and how He wants us to live?
Jesus tells us in John 6:35:
“And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” KJV
Jesus wasn’t offering another temporary meal.
He was revealing Himself as the One who gives eternal life and satisfies our deepest spiritual need.
That’s why He specifically added the phrase “Daily Bread” to our daily prayer in Matthew 6:9-13.
Now, this is where we must be careful.
Daily Table-Time isn’t a religious formula that earns us God’s love.
Reading our Bible every morning doesn’t make us more deserving of His grace.
We come because we already have an invitation through Jesus.
We return because we want to know Him more deeply.
The relationship is the Treasure.
But What If I Don’t Understand What I’m Reading?
Oh, I love this question!
Because somewhere along the way, many people have come to believe that understanding the Bible is reserved for pastors, teachers, and Bible scholars.
But Jesus didn’t send Holy Spirit only to people with theology degrees!
Listen to what He told His disciples.
“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” John 14:26 KJV
Jesus promised that Holy Spirit would teach all His followers.
And that’s one of the beautiful reasons we come to the Father’s Table.
We’re not sitting down to take another test.
We’re coming to learn from our Heavenly Father!
Before you begin reading, ask Holy Spirit to help you understand what you’re about to study.
Then slow down.
Read the passage.
Notice the words.
Ponder what God is revealing about Himself, His character, His ways, and His instructions.
Ask questions.
- Why did He say that?
- Who was He speaking to?
- What was happening?
- What can I learn about Him from this passage?
And don’t feel pressured to rush ahead simply because you’ve finished reading a certain number of verses.
Sometimes a single word in Scripture can lead you into a beautiful deep-dive discovery.
Remember David’s words in Psalm 23:1?
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” KJV
That little word MY changes how we understand the entire verse.
The LORD isn’t simply a Shepherd.
He is MY Shepherd!
That’s the kind of treasure we begin to discover when we stop rushing through Scripture and start spending time with the One who gave it to us.
What Happens When We Miss a Day?
Great question. Here’s something important to remember.
There may be days when your plans fall apart. An emergency happens. You’re exhausted. Life interrupts the schedule you intended to keep.
And before you know it, the day is over.
- What now?
- Do you feel guilty?
- Disappointed in yourself?
- Do you begin thinking you’ve failed God again?
Remember what we learned in Come Home.
Your Heavenly Father isn’t keeping attendance!
He wants your heart.
And developing a daily relationship with Him isn’t about achieving a perfect record.
It’s about learning to return.
Listen to this beautiful invitation in James 4:8:
“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” KJV
Isn’t that wonderful?
We are invited to draw near to Him!
So if you missed yesterday, don’t let guilt convince you to stay away today.
- Come back.
- Open His Word.
- Talk with Him.
- Listen.
- Follow.
And tomorrow?
Return again!
Return is the rhythm.
Come Back to the Father’s Table
I want to encourage you to begin making time with your Heavenly Father a treasured part of every day.
Not something you squeeze into whatever time is left over.
Not another item to check off your list.
And certainly not something you do because you’re afraid He’ll be disappointed if you don’t.
- Come because you love Him.
- Come because you want to know Him.
- Come because His Word is living and He has so much more to teach you.
Set aside time each day.
Open your Bible.
Invite Holy Spirit to teach you, and begin discovering the treasures your Heavenly Father has waiting for you in His Word.
- You don’t have to understand everything today.
- You don’t have to solve every problem today.
- You don’t have to know what tomorrow holds.
You just need to keep learning to trust and follow the One who does.
💎Today’s Treasure💎
Daily Table-Time isn’t about how many verses you read, how much you accomplish, or whether you maintained a perfect schedule.
It’s about returning to the Father who desires a relationship with you.
Daily Bread nourishes the relationship.
Return is the rhythm.
And the relationship is the Treasure.
At the Father’s Table
Before you close your Bible today, take some time to ponder these questions.
- Have I been treating time with my Heavenly Father as a daily invitation to know Him, or as another responsibility I need to complete?
- What distractions or priorities have been keeping me from returning to His Word each day?
- What might change in my relationship with Him if I began approaching Daily Table-Time with anticipation rather than obligation?
Don’t rush through these questions.
Sit with your Heavenly Father. Ask Holy Spirit to help you recognize what has been competing for your attention and what He wants to teach you about returning to Him.
And remember, no matter how long it’s been since you last sat with Him, the invitation remains.
Come Home. Return. And keep coming back.
The Father’s Table is waiting.
May God bless you and keep you.
Daisy