Bread of Life

Last fall, I started a new hobby, making bagels. This was my first real attempt at baking from scratch, and to my surprise, they turned out amazing! I started trying different toppings and giving extras to family and friends. Not only is this new hobby rewarding because I have my own tasty bagels, but it has also made me think about how often bread is referenced throughout scripture. After the exodus from Egypt, God rained manna from heaven to the Israelites wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, meeting their daily need for food, their daily bread (Exodus 16:4). This miracle was remembered every year during the Passover Feast. 

In John 6, Jesus was teaching about the Kingdom of Heaven to a crowd of hungry people. At the end of a long day, he fed over five thousand with five small loaves of bread and two small fish. It was an incredible miracle. 

Yet, the next day, the crowds went looking for Jesus again, hoping for another miracle to satisfy their hunger. This time, Jesus made it clear that he was far more concerned with their spiritual needs. He called himself the “Bread of Life” and told them that he was the daily essential they needed. He was (is) the way to truly experience spiritual fullness. “Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

During my senior year of college, I started having unexplained pain. I went to the emergency room twice in one week and saw specialists to try to find answers. For four months, I was unable to do much except go to class and stay in my apartment. I did not expect to spend my last fall semester of college feeling isolated and depressed, missing out on fun with friends.

I prayed a lot. I wanted God to take the pain, so I could enjoy normal life again. He didn’t immediately answer my prayer for physical healing, but he met spiritual needs I didn’t even know I had. God taught me to have dependance on him. He gave me his peace that surpasses all understanding.

Jesus is concerned with our physical needs, but he is even more concerned with our spiritual need for him. He sees the financial difficulties, family stress, and health scares. He hears all our prayers and meets the spiritual hunger that nothing else can satisfy. Jesus is essential to life, our true daily bread. 

Reflect

As you reflect on today’s devotional, listen to the song, “Communion”while you answer this question:

How has God met your spiritual need for him in the middle of a physical need?