Do You Hunger For Daily Bread?
Good Morning Friends,
Have you ever not known where your next meal was coming from? We usually have more than enough food for ourselves, but it is not so with many around the world. We can have any kind of food we wish. But in our abundance we forget that God is the Source of our provision-that without God we would not prosper at all. God brings the sun and the rain, God causes the crops to grow; God gives us intelligence and ability to earn bread.
Then Jesus tells us time and time again in contrast to this with the teaching that we are to not be anxious about tomorrow but to trust the Father for God will provide for his children. Do You Hunger For Daily Bread?
Scripture: The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much manna as they needed. Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”
Exodus 16: 17-19 (NIV)
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
John 6:51 (NRSV)
“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. “Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Matthew 6:5-15 (NRSV)
Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Isaiah 55:1-2a (NRSV)
Message: We are taught as the Israelites wandering in the desert to rely on spiritual manna. We are taught to live one day at a time.
Each day we are to receive fresh spiritual manna by reading scripture and praying and interacting in the world as a tangible reminder of God’s love for us. We can no more store up scripture for future reading or store up the minutes and seconds as they tick by than the Israelites could store up Manna. It was impossible to stockpile God’s provision, because God wanted them to rely in Him, not in their pantry. God’s grace is to be sufficient for each day. God wants us to trust Him daily with our needs. And this trust does not make us poor planners or careless with our futures, unprepared to face what may come. Rather, it keeps our relationship with the Lord in its proper perspective as He reminds us daily of our dependence upon Him. God is aware of what tomorrow will bring and how we should prepare for it. He knows the problems we will face, and He has already made provision for us to overcome them. He asks us to trust in Him daily. Our faith in Him today cannot substitute for our trust in Him tomorrow. If we walk with Him closely today, we will be in the center of His will tomorrow. Jesus taught that we do not live by bread alone, but by the words of life found in Scripture. To those who are spiritually starved God invites them to come and eat without cost. God offers food for the soul. If we hunger and thirst after righteousness, we will come to realize that only when we come to Jesus will our hunger be satisfied. Friends, we need to recognize that Jesus is the bread of life… our daily bread and that forming a habit around Him… the Word… not only provides for our needs but spills over into the lives of others. The key is learning to be a servant…learning to be in God’s service…learning to share in the incarnational life…of the Word made flesh… of His body broken for us as our gift given as we share.
Pray we experience Jesus as our daily bread…the Word of God made active and alive in our lives. Pray we become truly totally dependent upon God for our daily bread. Pray we realize that the secret of prayer is to hunger for God. Pray we realize that saying grace and saying a prayer at meal time means the same thing for a reason. Pray we receive God’s grace and eagerly share it with others. Pray that we
Blessings,
John Lawson
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