What Food Do You Desire
What food do you reach for when hunger calls? Do you reach for your favorite snack? Do you grab a bag of chips, a pack of cookies, or some other kind of junk food? Are you more inclined to take the time to prepare a hearty, satisfying meal? Most people would agree that well-prepared food tastes better and is more savory than refrigerated store-bought alternatives. There is something strangely satisfying about gathering ingredients, working hard, and producing a delicious plate of food. I tend to prepare most of my food because it tastes better, lasts longer, and is a healthier alternative to fast food or any boxed, canned, or bagged option at the local grocery store.
Bread, It’s What’s For Dinner
If you are a typical human, and I suspect you are, bread is a favorite staple in the pantry and on the dinner table. Bread is one food that can be fashioned into countless variations, flavors, and dishes. Bread was an important food in biblical times. I suspect it was a main course regularly consumed by all. God fed the Israelites manna in the wilderness for forty years. This cake-like, flaky substance fell from heaven so that God’s people would not go hungry. Moses tells the people of Israel why God did this in Deuteronomy 8:3:
‘He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.’
Jesus quotes this verse in Matthew 4:4 when being tempted by satan to command stones to become bread. Why? Before this, Jesus had been fasting for forty days and nights. He was hungry. Satan knew this and wanted Jesus to give in to the desires of the flesh over love for God. Jesus reminds him:
“Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”
Jesus also says that he is the bread of life, and whoever comes to him will never go hungry. I ask again. What type of food do you reach for when hunger calls?
God’s Word, Bread isn’t Enough
In Matthew 15:21-28, a Canaanite woman comes to beseech Jesus on behalf of her sick daughter.
21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
Bread Crumbs That Can Invigorate
This Canaanite woman cried out to Jesus, seeking deliverance for her sick daughter from the only one who could give her what she sought. Even the disciples implored him to send her away because she was crying out after them. I do not wish to address the intricacies of the Canaanite-Israelite controversy, nor the delicate explanations of Jesus’ dog comment. This is not the intent of this post. What I do want to address is the woman’s food. I want to take a moment to consider her comment. “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” This woman was a Canaanite with no access to the God of Israel, nor his commandments or statutes (Ephesians 2:12).
Even though she was a Canaanite, a gentile, she feasted upon the small fragments of truth that fell from the master’s table. God’s word, his truth, and the good news of his kingdom had been known to the Israelites for millennia, and every crumb that fell to the ground she consumed. We may never know what crumbs of truth she regularly ate, but we know that even the scant leftovers were enough to feed her soul and invigorate her faith. Crumbs! Crumbs that led her to the one true God, and man Jesus, whom she knew was her only hope. Notice Jesus’ response to her. “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you desire.” What a compassionate God and Savior the Lord Jesus is. Even small bits of God’s word are powerful enough to change us. So I ask again. What food do you reach for when hunger comes calling?
The Food We Consume
There are many types of food in the world. Mental food, emotional food, physical food, but the most important is the food we so often replace with sugary counterfeits. Spiritual food. Spiritual food gets replaced with unhealthy fats, sugar, and bloat. As a Christian fiction author, I enjoy reading stories. The most prominent and true story that impacts me, drives me, motivates me, and directs my life, my values, my morals, and my authority is God’s story. However, in my free time, I like to read fantasy, thrillers, and a little sci-fi. I also write in the same genres. One thing I found to be true time and time again is the personal impact stories can have on our lives. That is why I believe stories matter. Reading God’s word regularly nourishes the soul and should be a daily occurrence.
I wonder, what kinds of books are you ingesting outside of Bible reading? Do they encourage and build up, or discourage and tear down? Are the stories you’re reading encouraging you muster up that last bit of courage and strength to do the right thing despite increasingly challenging decisions? Are the stories you’re reading empowering you to latch onto that last bit of impossible hope? Do you find a new resolve to approach every facet of life with newfound joy, knowing that even amid darkness, there is always a light to shine the way? If the stories you read do not deliver on these components, maybe you need to read different stories.
Stories That Help Not Hurt
These are the kinds of stories I write. All of my inspiration, creative imaginings, and illustrious storytelling derive from the infinite, creative, imaginative, and amazing God in whose image I was created. I desire that my writing will change my readers for the better. When you finish a story I write, having experienced the deeply rooted and identifiable truths intertwined through the pages, perhaps… You look at life just a little bit differently. What crumbs do you find yourself continuously feasting upon?
