GIVE US OUR DAILY BREAD

 VIEWS FROM AN EMPTY PULPIT

By Major Davious Chigwada

Commissioner Joash Malabi (R) once said this in a private discussion: "While many people can cook, very few people can prepare food."

There is a difference between cooking and preparing food.

A lot of effort goes on behind the scenes when food preparation is undertaken in earnest.

In food preparation, someone visualises colour, arrangement, nutritional value, as well as taste.

Food preparation has a vision of those who are going to eat the food, whether they are children, youths, peers, in-laws, or honourable guests.

The stories of food, cooking, and food preparation are many in the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation.

Whatever their contexts, all food stories serve to show that well-prepared food is not just for the stomach but goes straight to the mind, speaking to both the intellect and the soul.

Take, for instance, this incident about meat.

When God created man, He did not offer meat as food but only beans and vegetables.

After the flood, Noah thoughtfully selected animals for preparing a special sacrifice to God.

After that, he made a special altar and presented the sacrifice.

It was a pleasing sacrifice to God, and God poetically added meat to man's menu.

Did you notice that the well-prepared sacrifice made God change His mind about man's diet?

Thus, well-prepared food can influence decisions.

Well-prepared food often leads people to praise God.

Thus, Christ taught us to include in the Lord's Prayer a request for our daily bread.

But food can also reveal relational differences, just as it did with Judas Iscariot.

Some people are no longer talking to each other because of food.

The story of Jacob and Esau is also a story about food preparation and its long-term effect on relationships.

The Bible also describes some well-prepared food as being out of sync with God's plans for certain individuals.

Daniel and his friends did not eat the royal Babylonian food, yet they stood far above the rest in both appearance and health.

I do like the Shona translation of Luke 11:3.

The word "Zvinotiringana" emphasises not only adequate supply but also equitable rather than equal measures.

For those with a big appetite, the daily bread meets their need just as it does for those who eat less, without gluttony and greed taking place.

#RootedInPrayerAndCommitment – Salvationist Online