Bread?

Prayer – Lord, Thank You for the variety and bounty of food that You provide for us—and the creativity to prepare it in appetizing ways. We are blessed. Please show us ways we can be a blessing to others. Serving You by serving others.

Then he (Jesus) told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people. They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers. About 5,000 men were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children! Matthew 14:19–21

 

He (Jesus) took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me." Luke 22:19

 

Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Deuteronomy 8:3

 

Meditate. Are you blessed? Do you give thanks and ask God to bless your bread…and all your food?

 

Mosaic in Israel near the Sea of Galilee
Remembering the feeding of five thousand men.

Jesus took basic foods—five little loaves of bread and a couple of fish—that would maybe feed five people at most, and He blessed it, giving thanks to the Heavenly Father. Then He had his disciples pass out the food to five thousand people. Actually, this scripture tells us that it wasn’t 5,000 people, but 5,000 men. Considering that each man had a family including a wife and probably a couple of kids—there could have been 15,000 or more that ate that satisfying supper. Jesus was a grateful host—giving thanks to the one who really provided and multiplied the fish and bread for that meal. Likewise, we have the example of Jesus blessing and thanking God for the bread that He offered to His disciples at the Passover Meal—His last supper with His friends. In that Jesus was commemorating His own body that was about to be sacrificed for the sins of mankind—of all the world for all time. His body given for us.

 

We are blessed to have such a bounty of food at every meal—food from all over the world and fresh and wholesome…just plain tasty or sinfully delicious. It is right for us to give thanks—and to ask God’s blessing of that food. I was taught that the “blessing” was once thought of as a request for God to purify the food—because, unlike today, the food was not pure and safe—so by asking God’s blessing—the food hopefully became untainted and harmless. That is a good habit for us to do. Personally, my family and I always ask a blessing—giving thanks to the Lord—for our food at every meal—no matter where we are. We are privileged to have such an abundance of food and we recognize that it is God’s blessing on us not only to live in a country of plenty—but to have more than enough and can share it with others. A time may come when we will have to search out food beyond our pantries and grocery stores. What will you be able to find and use? How will you bake your bread? Will you have to rely on God to send manna for bread?

 

Verse of Salvation ~ (God’s message.) But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God. Psalm 50:23

 

Memory Verse of the Week ~ Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection. Proverbs 30:5   

 

Friday’s Feast at the King’s Table

God has not forgotten His recipe for manna, but you may have to find some local foods at some point if products on the grocery shelves get low. There are edible foods you can forage in your yard or nearby. Google “forage foods” and see what “foods” you have right there in your own yard or neighborhood. Some foods maybe nuts that grow on trees in your city—but that are a fruit that is produced at only one time of the year. Other foods appear as weeds during the spring and summer months.

 

Will the red-winged blackbird...
eat the cattails?

Maybe you are blessed to live near an area that has cattails. These are usually found along wetlands, ponds, and streams and the shoots, stalks, catkins (sometimes eaten like corn on the cob), pollen, and roots are all edible. They can be enjoyed raw in the spring when they are tender and fresh, and later in the summer they will taste best if cooked. Look on line for details on how to prepare and eat the different parts. God provides us with such an amazing bounty of food…and it maybe right outside your door. Seek and you will find!

 

© 2022 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm. 

 

Books by Mickey M. Hunacek

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