March 19, 2006

Give us this day our daily bread!

Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone; but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:3-4 NKJV).

Every now and then I get discouraged or filled with fears and doubts. Sometimes I ask God to use this or that to lift me up, get me back on track, to make bread from these stones. This morning I see why He does not answer those prayers!

Jesus intends that I get what I need from His Word. While He can use people or circumstances (like answered prayer) to rebuild my faith or spur me on, the ultimate word of encouragement comes directly from Him. Even that word used for ‘word’ says it. The normal Greek term for ‘word’ is logos, but here it is rhema. It means ‘a word fit for the need of the moment.’

Every day God wants to give me a word I need for that day. I may not look for it, or listen to Him, but His plan includes my daily bread, manna from the Book. Today I needed to hear this caution to not ask for or rely on stones, which could be anything other than Scripture. The hunger in my heart is only satisfied by food that comes from His heart, food specifically designed for the day that lies ahead. How cool is that!

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