My family and I are learning a hard lesson. We've moved 1,000 miles to a new town, with no job. It's the way God asked us to do it. But we still have money flowing out, a shrinking savings, and no sustainable income. The pressure to give into discouragement and fear is mounting.
Here's the lesson: "Give us this day our daily bread." The manna in the wilderness was for that day.
Our culture has programmed us into thinking predominantly long-term: make sure your insurance policies will cover your needs 40 years from now. Get that extra coverage on the new washer and dryer, just in case. Make sure you have a job, any job, because that's the only way that God can provide for you. (Oops, did I just say that?) Forget the desires of your heart, your calling, because we're in a tough economy right now and you need to think more pragmatically.
Now, it is critical that we first ask God if he wants us to live without any of the "securities" I just mentioned. Seek his counsel first. But you get the point: we have not been programmed to think of the daily-ness of God's provision.
"Give us this day our daily sustenance."
So my wife and I keep asking, "Are we alright today?" ...and the answer is, 'yes.' Today, we have what we need.