By Toni Ford
Have you ever experienced real and true hunger?
I heard a story of a young couple who were struggling to pay bills. As they sat down one evening to eat a meager meal of a single hamburger patty and a glass of milk, the young husband gave thanks and offered up a simple petition saying, “Lord, we are not asking for much, just enough to get by.” With tears in his eyes he added, “At least, Lord, give us the staples we need to go with what little we have. That’s all we ask for Lord, just the staples!”
As they began to eat, the husband winced with sudden pain. Something sharp was in the meat. Fishing the object from his mouth, he stared in amazement at a small metal staple. Both the husband and the wife began laughing as the husband said aloud, “That’s not what I meant. Lord!”
The husband decided to go back to the market and take the unclean meat with him. The store manager was deeply concerned and although the young husband had no intentions of carrying through with legal actions, the manager immediately sought to make amends.
“Sir,” the manager blurted out, “if you will be so kind as to forget this ever happened, you can fill up one of those shopping carts with all the groceries you can use for a week. They are on the house.” The man was amazed at the Lord’s provision for him and his wife. He never dreamed that God’s provision would look like that for the week!
Talk about going from a meager meal to provision for a week! I would dare say that if we were to stop and take a look all around us, we would find much to be thankful for as well as see evidence of His provision all around us. This story quickly reminded me of God’s provision in our lives in two specific areas.
God is our hidden manna. The air we breathe, the lungs that take in the air and the ability of the body to use that air to sustain life are all gracious gifts from God. Christ’s presence clearly provides all we need. He alone is our hidden manna for surviving life’s journey. Revelation 2: 17 says, “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.”
God is our Bread of Life. John 6: 32-35 says, “Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Jesus is saying he is essential for life. Second, the life Jesus is referring to is not physical life but eternal life. In these verses, Jesus and the people knew the importance of bread, needed to sustain one’s physical life, but everyone also knew that bread perishes. Our Lord
emphasized that not only is He needed and essential to our life on this earth, but He is our spiritual bread that brings eternal life! Jesus is our provider for eternal life, and He never expires, gets old or perishes!
Thank you, Jesus, for being our provider both here in the physical realm and spiritual realm. May we always be mindful of your provisions and blessings in our lives and never take those things for granted. Today, we say again, thank you and we love you.
If you would like for me to join you in prayer please email me at tonif77@gmail.com and I would love to pray for you.