Then Jesus declared,
“I am the bread of life.
He who comes to me will never go hungry,
and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”
John 6:35
This statement from Jesus was the first of seven “I am” declarations clearly claiming deity before a first-century Jewish crowd.
Over 2000 years later, they still bring a powerful message to those who will listen.
First-century folks lived on the edge of starvation. Hunger was a part of daily life. Things you or I may say casually — “I’m stuffed,” “I’ve got to cut out the carbs,” or “I’ve got to lose some weight” — were unknown phrases in first-century languages. Much of the average person’s daily existence was consumed with finding literal “daily bread” to keep living another day.
For many of us, the challenges of our first-century counterparts are difficult to truly comprehend. Some of us may have heard stories of our country’s Great Depression, or of other nations where famine is an everyday reality. Most Americans still have never known a day with true hunger, and have only heard about this type of hardship. We’ve (thankfully!) never experienced it in our lifetimes.
When Jesus described Himself as the “Bread of Life,” He was offering eternal life. That’s a timeless message. It is still true today. Jesus alone brings sinful humans hope for eternity. In the midst of uncertainty, fear, and anxiety, Jesus brings peace, calm, and assurance.
Food sustains us physically, but only the “Bread of Life” sustains us eternally. We know that without our daily bread, we become weak, lack energy, and are prone to sickness. The same is true spiritually. Our Savior’s bread-of-life metaphor rings true. We come to Him for satisfaction. Our yielding to Him – calling to Him for salvation – brings peace in the midst of panic, calm in the midst of chaos.
Do you know Him, my friend? Have you yielded to Him? Are you sure? Have you prayed with a believing heart words similar to these:
God Almighty, if you are there, if you are listening, if you are care,
I am finally ready to cry “uncle.”
I am ready to yield my life to You.
I am a mess. I have made a mess.
All my striving has come to nothing.
My motivations are rooted in pride.
I have rebelled against You.
But today is my line in the sand.
Enough.
I’m tired of trying and weary of running.
I believe you exist.
I believe the unbelievable – that you love me and actually died for me.
You paid my bill, the debt I owe for my sin and rebellion.
Because you died for me, I want to begin now to live for you.
Help me live for you.
I’m sliding over to the passenger seat now and letting you take the wheel of my life.
Please drive.
It’s simultaneously frightening and freeing to take this step of faith and let you be in charge.
I love you, Jesus.
Today is the day.
Thank you for keeping me alive to reach this day.
Thank you for every hard thing that you have allowed into my life.
Looking back, I see now that nothing was wasted.
You used every bit of it to bring me down so I could look up to You.
Thank you for loving me.
Thank you for giving me hope and a future.
Amen.
Whether you prayed those exact words or something similar to them, whether you prayed them moments ago or years ago, you are a woman of God. You belong to Jesus and He is your Bread of Life!
Let the reality for your future on that day change how you live and respond to this day.
Let those of us who know Him as our Bread of Life continue to come to Him daily for our daily bread, our daily manna.
Sister friends, I pray we all keep praying and stay in the Word when times are challenging. When the storm rages around us, we can know peace in the midst of it because we know Jesus.
Every September, we choose to focus on “30 Prayers & Verses for our Children” our Write the WORD topic for the upcoming month. In this week’s Friday devotional video, Laura shared thoughts on this annual tradition and also revisited Cross My Heart Ministry’s 2nd Annual Prayer Walk for our local schools. We invite you to watch now!
We hope you will download the September bookmark and not only study these prayers with us during the coming month, but use the bookmark as a guide all year long as you pray for the kids in your life!
