The bread of God.

 

Friday, July 21, 2023


Psalm 50

2 Samuel 2:18-3:1

John 6:16-34


Observance: Howell Harris, preacher (d. 1773)


The bread of God.


During a discussion between formation students preparing for ordination, the topic of spiritual attack came up. One of the words used to describe the experience of ordinands and their spiritual struggle was “relentless”. When reading a Psalm like today’s, God’s promise to rescue all who call on His name can seem difficult to appreciate.


Perhaps we are all still trying to work out what it means to follow Jesus to the cross. Because during times of dark struggle, it can get easy to look at our believing neighbours and ask God to just let off the pressure a bit and give us a good life, just like they have it. But to be truly “incarnational”, that is, to really appreciate and also live the way Jesus did, means to disown our attachment to this life for the sake of the eternal life offered by God.


This doesn’t mean that we give up on our lives this side of the Jordan and just wait for God to whisk us up to heaven. Rather, it means to really dig in to what is important, what is permanent, and learn what is simply a temporary gift from God to be used for His glory according to His will. This life is one such gift; from the moment of our conception in the womb to the moment God takes away our breath is a span of time that God has given to us as a gift. It is not the same as who we are as a person. This life is not synonymous with our soul. It is to be used for God’s glory: to love and be loved, to do works of charity, to pray and worship, and to influence the growth of our eternal soul.


It sounds nice from the comfort of a soft chair, but if we are to take this attitude in to the real world, that this life is a temporary gift and is to be used for God’s purposes, we are going to need something to keep us going. Because the struggles of this world, the spiritual attacks, are relentless, and they can get to us if we are not careful. This is what Jesus is speaking about when He talks of the bread that comes from God. Today’s Psalm tells us how to prepare this bread for eating: turn to God in thanksgiving for the gift we have been given; settle in the fact that it is God’s blazing glory that triumphs over everything, and the power of God’s love that holds our eternal souls safe. Munch down on the bread of thanksgiving and worship; it will give us the energy we need to use this gift we have been given, all for the love of God.

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