The Eternal Food from Heaven

Prayer-Soldier · Posted: Sun Aug 05, 2012 10:04 am Post subject: The Eternal Food from Heaven

The Eternal Food from Heaven

Scripture:

And all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the children of Israel said to them: Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat over the fleshpots, and ate bread to the full: Why have you brought us into this desert, that you might destroy all the multitude with famine? And the Lord said to Moses: Behold I will rain bread from heaven for you; let the people go forth, and gather what is sufficient for every day: that I may prove them whether they will walk in my law, or not.

I have heard the murmuring of the children of Israel, say to them: In the evening you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God. So it came to pass in the evening, that quails coming up, covered the camp: and in the morning a dew lay round about the camp. And when it had covered the face of the earth, it appeared in the wilderness small, and as it were beaten with a pestle, like unto the hoar frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another: Manhu! which signifies: What is this! for they knew not what it was. And Moses said to them: This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. (Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15)

This then I say and testify in the Lord: That henceforward you walk not as also the Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind: But you have not so learned Christ: If so be that you have heard him and have been taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus: To put off, according to former conversation, the old man, who is corrupted according to the desire of error. And be renewed in spirit of your mind: And put on the new man, who according to God is created in justice and holiness of truth. (Ephesians 4:17, 20-24)

When therefore the multitude saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they took shipping and came to Capharnaum, seeking for Jesus. And when they had found him on that other side of the sea, they said to him: Rabbi, when came you here? Jesus answered them and said: Amen, amen, I say to you, you seek me, not because you have seen miracles, but because you did eat of the loaves and were filled. Labour not for the meat which perishes, but for that which endures unto life everlasting, which the Son of man will give you. For him has God, the Father, sealed.

They said therefore unto him: What shall we do, that we may work the works of God? Jesus answered and said to them: This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent. They said therefore to him: What sign therefore do you show that we may see and may believe you? What do you work? Our fathers did eat manna in the desert, as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

Then Jesus said to them: Amen, amen, I say to you; Moses gave you not bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. They said therefore unto him: Lord, give us always this bread. And Jesus said to them: I am the bread of life. He that comes to me shall not hunger: and he that believes in me shall never thirst. (John 6:24-35)

Reflection:

Though they had been delivered from slavery, the people of Israel yearned for the food they had while they were governed by their former masters. The people blamed Moses for what freedom brought. A life of dependency upon those who enslaved them was preferred to the hunger of their stomachs. They blamed Moses for leading them into a place where even the toil of their own hands was insufficient to sustain themselves, although their work had once bore the burden not only of themselves, but the heavy burden of their masters.

What they did not comprehend was that it was the Lord which held them up in those times and that He would do so again. The path to which He led Moses and those who followed Him was so that they could learn. Though the chosen people were willing to abandon their God, He was not willing to abandon the children of His creation.

The Lord heard the cries of the hungry and He provided sustenance to deliver them. While the people doubted their circumstance, He brought forth what they could gather and fed them day by day. What they could not provide for themselves, He provided so that they may see the miracles of their God. A time would come, though, that what He provided would not be food for the body, but eternal food for the soul.

We need only look at the wonder of His creation to see His presence everywhere. The design of the world and all which is in it is beyond our comprehension. Though the studies of man have revealed small theories as to the mechanics of what the Creator has put in motion, there is so much which is misunderstood and so much more which is not known. The probing studies of man cannot approximate the truth of God for what they believe they know, they often discover later they misunderstood for they only relied upon what they could comprehend through the senses rather than seeking discernment through prayer.

It the the struggle of people to know all about the universe which surrounds them. It is the arrogance of people that from what they believe they understand that they believe they know the secrets of all creation. It is the vanity of people which lead them to believe that all could be created without a Creator, yet, with all their study and all their knowledge, they have only scratched the surface of the truth of the workings of His creation.

It is the haughtiness and misguided pride in their own flawed intellect which allow people to become so easily deceived by the evil one. The serpent strikes at the heals of the children of His creation with the venom of selfishness and self-importance. The deceptive one entices people to believe that the laws of mankind are more just than the laws of God.

What people take apart they often find they cannot put back together; and so it is with their relationship with their Creator; but what is impossible for people is possible for God. If they have faith, He will not let them go. Through prayer, then, we should seek Him so that we remain close to Him.

The vanity of the soul and the pride of the mind keep people from prayer. They want to know what binds matter together, but they overlook the matters of the soul. They seek to understand the energy of life but overlook the power of His love. They seek to set the rules, but the only rules they may set are those which He allows. What he allows through the free will He has given the children of His creation, He will eventually hold to account. What is done faithful to His Word will receive His blessing, but what is done to achieve the vanity of people will receive a different reception.

What we study of His creation advances our experience in this world, but what we study of His Word advances our experience for eternity. While we may seek the secrets which surround us, let us first seek in prayer the truth which He desires so much to reveal to us.

And so the people came to Him, intrigued by His works. They struggled to understand that while He could do great miracles for their existence in this world, it was not His miracles, but belief in Him which could deliver them. They sought bread for their bodies, but what He offered was bread for their souls.

To believe in Him, one must also believe in His Word. To believe His Word, one must also be willing to live what it teaches. The foundation is simple, but the lives we lead in which it must be applied are often complicated. If we do not understand the Word, we should seek clarity from those He appointed to help us learn; but we should also pray to Him for understanding. If we seek to leave behind the vanity of this world, He will guide us into the eternal blessings of the next.

May the peace and blessings of the Lord be with you always,
Prayer Soldier