As the spoken prayer taught most explicitly by Jesus, The Lord’s Prayer (or the “Our Father”) is typically seen as the model par excellence of effective prayer. Embedded within the wisdom of this oft-recited prayer is the petition to “give us this day our daily bread”. Why does Jesus even bother to focus on “this day”? He could just as easily have said, “Give us the bread we need to live.”
While only God can explain the full meaning of “this day”, it’s worth noting that the present – this day – is the only day where God can truly be found. When it comes down to it, the past (which exists as an incarnate reality no longer) and the future (when it not yet reality and may never become reality) are simply more mental contracts, more illusory creations of the false self that give us some sense of control over the way our lives develop. Letting go of thoughts in contemplative practice includes letting go of perceived pasts and imagined futures and draws us firmly into this day, where God lives with, in, through, for, and as us, meeting us here to supply our deepest needs and yearnings.