All things that pertain to the wants and the support of this present life; such as food, raiment, money, goods, house and land, and other property; a believing spouse and good children; trustworthy servants and faithful magistrates; favorable seasons, peace and health; education and honor; true friends, good neighbors, and the like. * * * * * In this Petition we acknowledge that every good gift comes from God; [Jas. 1:17] and we pray that He would give us, day by day, those things which we need for our earthly support and comfort, and would make us content and thankful. THE PETITION ITSELF. While we are to pray first and chiefly for spiritual blessings, the Saviour here teaches us that we may and should pray for temporal benefits also. GIVE. By praying God to _give_ us our daily bread, we acknowledge that it comes from Him.[9] He is the absolute owner of all things, [I Cor. 10:26] and divides to all men as He will. All that we have is His gift. He gives it as a blessing upon our labor; hence, we must work as well as pray. [II Thess. 3:10] But without His blessing, our labor would be in vain. [Ps. 127:1] The farmer sows, but God gives the increase. [Footnote 9: Compare this Petition with the First Article of the Creed and its Explanation.] US. We are taught to pray not only for ourselves, but for others also. We should be concerned that they too may have their daily bread; and, when necessary, we should give them a portion of what God has first given to us, and thus become the means through which He supplies their wants. [Heb. 13:16] THIS DAY. We are not to pray for "much goods for many years," but only for this one day's needful supply. When the morrow comes, if we are still alive, we are to pray again. [Matt.6:34+] We are to depend upon God from day to day. We are, indeed, to make a proper provision for our future, but we are not to give way to anxious, unbelieving care about it. OUR. We ask for bread which we may call our own, bread honestly gotten, bread which God intends we shall have as a reward of our labor; not some one's else bread, and not such things as God, in His wisdom, sees fit to withhold from us. DAILY BREAD. According to Luther's explanation in the Catechism, our daily bread includes ALL THINGS WHICH PERTAIN TO THE WANTS AND THE SUPPORT OF THIS PRESENT LIFE; such as:-- FOOD, RAIMENT, to supply our bodily wants; MONEY, GOODS, HOUSE AND LAND, AND OTHER PROPERTY, by means of which we may procure the supply of our bodily wants; A BELIEVING SPOUSE AND GOOD CHILDREN, that we may have a good Christian home; TRUSTWORTHY SERVANTS AND FAITHFUL MAGISTRATES, that we may have the help and protection which we need for the enjoyment of our own; FAVORABLE SEASONS, PEACE AND HEALTH, EDUCATION AND HONOR, TRUE FRIENDS, GOOD NEIGHBORS, AND THE LIKE,--all those things which increase our earthly well-being and happiness.