Our Daily Bread

 Bread is one of my most pleasurable life indulgences. It's not good for my waistline, but it tastes incredibly delicious. Even just the smell of it can make my mouth water. Give me some cold butter (no substitutes!) and I'm a happy woman! Any other bread lovers out there? I get this love of bread from my dad. We often teased him about how happy it made him when they brought a fresh bread basket to the table at a restaurant. But seriously—I was no less happy than he. 

Bread is mentioned often in the Bible. In fact, I was pretty surprised when I googled the number, and found it is mentioned around 492 times. That's a pretty remarkable number and causes us to take note, recognizing it has extreme significance in God's Word. Perhaps one of the most notable Bible references that comes to mind is how God sent manna to sustain the Children of Israel in the wilderness. Each day, He sent what was necessary to fill each of them with their necessary food as this delightful bread was provided early each morning. The taste of manna is described as wafers with honey. I'm sold!

But the next mention of bread that stands out to me is in the Lord's Prayer. He states, "Give us this day, our daily bread." Now I believe this prayer includes our physical need for nourishment, but also—so much more. I think of this statement being whispered from our own lips in situations that call for help. Help that doesn't include physical hunger but reveals a need—needs that express a void or a situation that distresses us—a place only the Lord can fill.

"I don't know how we will pay all the bills this month!"

(Give us this day, our daily bread)

"I have no idea what to do about the state of my marriage!"

(Give us this day, our daily bread)

"How can I go on without her?"

(Give us this day, our daily bread)

"I feel so stressed out with all these deadlines."

(Give us this day, our daily bread)

"I feel inadequate as a wife, a mother, or an employee."

(Give us this day, our daily bread)

Scripture refers to Jesus as the Bread of Life—our Sustenance and our Sustainer. He isn't just the Provider of our food, but the Provision for our every need. When we are stressed, worried, afraid, insecure, or sick—He is our Bread. He longs to fill our hearts and minds—not just our stomachs. 

Whatever has you emotionally bogged down, whisper words of invitation to our Bread of Life—words that ask Him to fill the needs you have today. He created you and all of creation. He conquered the cross. He rose from the grave. He saves us from hell. And as we read in the Bible a handful of times: "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" The answer is no. 

Life is difficult and full of situations that distress us, and sometimes—life just hurts. But we aren't without hope. We haven't been left here to flounder on our own. Jesus—our Bread of Life longs to sustain us. We can face the impossible with expectance. As much as our shoulders want to droop and our breath may become short and shallow, we have every reason to stand tall and run the race set before us. Whatever is troubling you, release it at the feet of Jesus. Recall His great power and His perfect ability to stand in the midst of your inadequacies—even if it's just a whispered prayer for Him to supply your daily bread.

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst (John 6:35, ESV)."

Balancing Faith and Preparation

     She was sick, and getting sicker by the day. As she awaited news from the doctor about her diagnosis, she worried. How would they pay for treatment? Would they lose everything they had worked for after so many decades of making a secure life for their family? Would they have to file bankruptcy in order for her to receive treatment if the diagnosis was indeed cancer? For most of her life, they talked about faith, and how God would take care of them no matter what happened. And so insurance seemed like a joke- a display of trusting in an insurance company, and not God. Until now. Now, she wasn't so sure.
     This scenario plays out in many various ways, but the same principle holds true- faith without preparation. I am a firm believer in faith, and know that God can do the impossible. In fact, He has done the impossible for me many times over, so I've personally experienced the truth of it. That said, I also firmly believe that God wants us to prepare with good sense. We should be responsible with what He has entrusted us with, and make choices that will help us when we are in trouble. 
     The situation our world is facing right now is one that calls us to both faith, and preparedness. Faith that God is in control, and always has been. Faith that He will is my Helper and Friend. Faith that He will work all things out for good- because scripture promises us this. But we also want to be prepared. Being prepared doesn't necessarily mean we buy all the toilet paper, but it is wise to make preparations for the unknown circumstances of our immediate future. And it always helps to know that while the future isn't known by us, it is known by Him. And so we have this constant balance of faith and preparation- a mix that gives security to our families, and a hope to the anxious soul. 
     This situation made me think of the Israelites, and how they faced the same balance. The Lord provided for their daily needs in the wilderness by giving them fresh manna each day (a small, round, white substance they used to bake bread). They were to only collect what they needed for that day, yet some of them felt greedy and lacked faith that He would provide the next day, so they took more than their share. What happened to the excess? It rotted, and was useless. Their disobedience to gather more than they needed ended up in a smelly basket of rotten manna. Did God want them to prepare? Yes, but He also wanted them to obey and trust Him to provide for their needs the next day as well.
     The purpose of this post isn't to scold anyone for buying more than our daily needs, but rather to remind us of the importance of both preparing for the future, and believing that God is in control. 100 rolls of toilet paper won't eliminate the fact that I still need God. We can, and should prepare, but we still need God every second of every day. Whether we are in times of plenty, or leaner times, God wants us to trust Him- yet all while being wise. This is true in our marriages, our careers, our home life, our parenting- every single sphere! So while this virus can cause us to feel uncertain and fearful, we can choose to push away the fear and allow our faith to lead us to a better place. We will do what we can to prepare for tomorrow, trusting that God will be there, just as He's here today. And sometimes, this is just the faith exercise that I need to remember Who He is, and witness His great power in not only my own life, but the whole world. 

Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. Proverbs 6:6-8 (ESV)
That your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. 1 Corinthians 2:5 (ESV)
I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 (ESV)

Dear heavenly Father, we thank You for providing for us, and for seeing to our needs. We ask for forgiveness for our oftentimes lack of faith, and pray that even in this time, our faith would be increased. May we not only witness Your power, but may others see it in me. In Your name we pray, Amen!