Since 2019, Give Us This Day has been a daily companion for parents and children in Singapore and across the region, encouraging families to read the Bible together.
The devotional, named after a phrase found in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:11 NKJV), includes 31 stories that apply biblical truth to everyday situations, along with a comic and interactive activities to engage young readers.
“Our Daily Bread, our flagship devotional series, has been well loved by generations of believers,” says Jasmine Goh, editor at Our Daily Bread Ministries. “We felt well positioned to create a family devotional.”
“It was an opportunity to help local families cultivate a habit of reading the Bible together, using stories that are locally relevant and applicable.”
Sparking Faith Conversations at Home
What makes this children’s devotional stand out is that many of them are written by local volunteer writers—such as Stephen Chan, who serves in his church’s children’s and youth ministries.
“I thought volunteering as a writer was a good idea because such family devotional material is in short supply, especially in an Asian or Singaporean context,” says Stephen, author of two family devotion books.
Many of Stephen’s stories draw on real-life situations, such as conversations with his son, or the children and youth he teaches in Sunday school. “I try to impart not just a biblical truth, but to also entice the child to want to read the Bible for themselves.”
(From left) Give Us This Day volunteer writers Stephen Chan, Karen Kwek, and Warrick Tan
Conversations and interactions with children—including his young daughter—also inspired Warrick Tan, a father of two and former teacher, to pen down some of his devotional stories.
“It’s mainly about hearing from children and what matters to them,” he says. “It’s through these interactions that I get to understand their world.”
For Karen Kwek, another volunteer writer, a family devotional is a helpful tool for parents of young children who struggle to find structured time to read the Bible or talk about faith matters in an engaging way.
What inspires Karen’s writing is the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–32). “I think the story of how the lost son returns to the father informs us about how God’s grace is so rich and abundant,” she says.
“So in the devotionals, I want to try and invite kids to know that kind of God—and not just focus on things that they should do or should not do. And, to help parents find those opportunities in their daily life to talk about God with their kids.”
“Thank You for Helping Me Grow in My Faith in God”
Over the years, Give Us This Day has been translated into multiple languages across the Asia Pacific region, including Chinese, Indonesian, and Thai.
“One of the goals in producing this devotional was to have local stories, names, and scenarios, so that children can see themselves in these stories,” says Jasmine. “The hope is that children can wrestle with God’s Word and live out their faith in everyday situations they can relate to.”
Young readers have also shared their feedback—for example, a young girl named Kadisha wrote in with this message:
(Fun fact: Kadisha’s name appeared in Issue #20 of Give Us This Day!)
“We’ve received many emails and letters from readers—both parents and children—telling us that they enjoy using the devotional and requesting for more,” Jasmine recalls. “I remember most of them. Each one felt, to me, like God’s way of encouraging us to press on in this work.”
“At the end of the day, I hope that our young readers will continue to find Give Us This Day as a valued companion in their faith journey across their primary school years.”
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