Daniel Fast – Day 6
Day 6 – to accompany our daily Bible reading from John chapter 6
Bread of life
It’s easy to understand how the disciples might have been concerned – a massive crowd following Jesus needed to be fed and their only supply of food was a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish. Maybe a select few would actually be able to eat. Jesus saw the multitude approaching him and tested Philip with a question:
“He said to Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread that these may eat?’” John 6:5 (NKJ)
Jesus was not as concerned with the how of securing the bread, but was more focused on the where. Meanwhile, Philip and another disciple, Andrew, seemed more concerned with other things and replied to Jesus with all the reasons why the existing supply of food was insufficient and the problem seemed large and overwhelming.
“But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.” John 6:27 NIV
Oftentimes, we find ourselves in a difficult or devastating situation and ask God how to escape. We can get lost in asking God why, wishing to be rescue, or offering our own resolution. We may provide more reasons of why certain solutions won’t work and overanalyze the process. Or we may simply resign and give up.
But God wants to test us – often by questioning not the how, but the where – in this case and more specifically, the Who – the solution will come from, God Himself, through Christ! We see that Jesus was able to feed over five thousand that day and still had leftovers. He is quite capable of taking care of your specific situation. Is God testing you during the fast? As you pray for relationships, finances, or work, shift your focus from the solution you think is needed, to who can supply the best solution for your life. Think not of the how, but the Who, Jesus, the Bread of Life. He really is your best option!
“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 -NIV
LEARNINGS TO SHARE... 
February 14, 2009 at 4:33 am
I woke this morning hungry on my 2nd day of a fast from food. I was also feeling anxious about the day (not because it is Friday the 13th) but because i was scheduled to close on a house sale today. Now normally house closings are something to get excited about, but not when you are selling it short of what you owe the lender. And, this one was going to be shorter than the lender had agreed to because i had underestimated the cost to finish the basement for the buyer as part of the contract. I was concerned it would be a struggle to get it closed, and it was a little bumpy, but we got through it nonetheless. I was tempted to let it stress me and my empty stomach wasn’t helping with that. But something unexpected happened…….
The wire to fund the closing was late and they told us it might take an hour or so. Normally this would have caused much frustration on my part and the buyer’s behalf as well, because we had signed all the documents and there was nothing else to do but wait. Typically i would just leave and come back, but i had begun a conversatoin with my buyer and time passed by quicker than i thought it would. Turns out that my buyer is a fellow Christ follower from China. He has been here for 12 years as a research professor at UGA. As we talked i learned much about the Chinese culture and the struggles of the house churches there. We talked about the persecution, the limit of one child per family, the resulting abortions and abandoned children, the many orphanages there, and his desire to have some church meetings in his newly finished basement. I invited him and his family to Crossroads, and he invited me to preach to his congregation through an interpretor one day. The time flew by amazingly fast.
God’s word reminded us in John 6 today that Jesus is the Bread of Life. He reminds me even now that today wasn’t about being hungry for food, but being richly filled by developing a new relationship with one of His followers that i would have otherwise missed out on. I left the closing today, not frustrated because we didn’t get any proceeds from the sale of a house, but encouraged and filled with joy that I live here in the U.S. free to worship and free to invite my Chinese friend to worship with me.
rodney
February 14, 2009 at 11:27 pm
Hello! Happy Valentine’s Day!
I just thought I’d share a couple of the things I’ve been learning this past week. Appropriately, one of the things I’ve been learning is how to view Jesus as my first love, my best friend, my everything. It can be hard sometimes seeing a lot of friends begin to date, get engaged, and married…especially on this tiny campus where everyone knows everything about everyone.
On my fast from Facebook, I’ve really had a lot more time to rely on Jesus when I feel lonely. I think one of the worst things about Facebook is how fast you can get addicted to reading about other people’s lives, and then you just feel worse about your own boring life…lol. So, although I have been tempted, I am proud of myself for sticking with this for this past week. I honestly feel like my relationship with God has grown tremendously this past week, and I’ve begun to see Jesus in a whole different way. He never leaves me, and he never lets me down!!!
So, on this lovely Hallmark holiday, Jesus is my Valentine. ❤
I’ve been listening to the song Zach sang last Sunday “True Love” by Phil Wickham constantly this week, and I think it pretty much sums up what God wanted me to learn this week. Why be impatient to find my “true love” when He’s been here all along? 🙂
I hope everyone has been doing well, and I love you!