Our Daily Bread

In temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we learn about the creation of the earth.  I recently wondered why the creation was spread over a six day period.  Jesus Christ certainly could have created the earth and formed mankind in one day, but that was not Heavenly Father’s will.  Heavenly Father directed our Savior to create the earth in stages.

In our lives, Heavenly Father rarely causes events to change instantaneously.  Circumstances change slowly.  We make it through tough times one day at a time.  Needs are met piece by piece.

Slow change can drive many of us crazy because the alternative option is instant gratification, which always appears great.  As much as I don’t like it, I am grateful that Heavenly Father provides gradual change because it gives all of us a unique opportunity to practice relying on the Lord to give us our daily bread. 

One of the twelve apostles of the church recently shared with young single adults about a personal financial difficulty that taught him the significance of coming to the Lord each day:

Though I suffered then, as I look back now, I am grateful that there was not a quick solution to my problem. The fact that I was forced to turn to God for help almost daily over an extended period of years taught me truly how to pray and get answers to prayer and taught me in a very practical way to have faith in God. I came to know my Savior and my Heavenly Father in a way and to a degree that might not have happened otherwise or that might have taken me much longer to achieve. I learned that daily bread is a precious commodity. I learned that manna today can be as real as the physical manna of biblical history. I learned to trust in the Lord with all my heart. I learned to walk with Him day by day. (Elder Christofferson, Click HERE to access it.)

I am grateful that Heavenly Father did not rush the creation.  I don't know why it needed to take six days, but I know that He knew what He was doing.  As much as we would like Him to hurry-up with the details of our lives, I am grateful that He (usually) keeps the pace slow because it allows us to focus more on our daily bread, which increases our faith.  I am grateful to know that Heavenly Father knows exactly what He is doing with all of our lives.  May we trust Him more, especially on a daily basis.