our daily bread.

This morning started with a walk to the local police station.

This would seem like a very intriguing story, but in reality, it was only so I could meet Marieke and we could get our temporary driving permits.  Once that was over [about 5 minutes of my life] we walk along the beach for a while and collected sea glass.  Eventually, she went her way back to campus and I continued to walk until it started to rain and I figured it might be best to get home, just in case it turned into another torrential downpour and I was caught husband-less.

Turns out, it was just a heavy rain, and it actually felt great to get soaked.  I got home, started some laundry, started dinner, and started...yeast bread.

Now, my dear friends know the relationship I have with yeast.  It isn't a good one - I've never successfully made a delicious loaf of nutritional homemade goodness.  This is unfortunate seeing as I enjoy making delicious and nutritious homemade things.  But today, seeing as we are currently over budget for groceries for the week and in need of bread...I decided to try one.more.time.  Well, maybe not the last time ever, but knowing my previous history...

So I began my process with the yeast, warm water, whole wheat flour, etc., literally praying that this loaf would turn out - partially because I really wanted to know I could make bread from scratch, and the other partially because it would be 4 cups of flour or so down the drain if it failed.  So I found myself praying, "Lord, please let this bread rise.  I can't do it, but You can."  This may seem like a hysterical thing to pray, especially considering that I was also talking to my bread dough among other things, but it also got me to thinking: aren't we are supposed to pray for our daily bread?  I mean, it's in the "Lord's Prayer" - the one Jesus gave to his disciples as an example of how to pray: 

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 

Your kingdom come, your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts,
   as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
   but deliver us from evil." Matthew 6:9-13

Now, I know that "daily bread" can mean a lot of things - overall provision is the point, and not necessarily a loaf of bread in and of itself, but I think I can go with the "basic loaf of bread concept" for a while...

Today, we can hop over to the store and purchase a ready-to-eat loaf of our choice, Whole wheat, white, cinnamon raisin...it's probably even made by a machine! And it's no biggie.  But back in the day, when women much much better than I did everything from scratch, it was probably more of a hit or miss kind of deal, I'm sure [especially if any of them were my ancestors, more misses than hits...just guessing].  My point is: I think it is much easier in our day and age to assume that everything will happen they way we need to happen, be at the store for us to pick up, go as planned, etc.  We are continuing to lose our ability to rely on the Lord in and for everything due to our "convenience" culture, don't you think?  I mean, when was the last time you prayed that God would handle something as seemingly insignificant like making your attempt at bread dough rise?  

I mean, I can't make bread dough rise.  I can mix all the ingredients like the directions say, but beyond that, I'm helpless.  So isn't it amazing that the Lord would bless me with two awesome loaves of bread from 4 cups of flour, some water, and some yeast?  Yes, I believe so, and it was a glorious reminder of the intimate mercies of God to pull them out of the oven 3 hours later or so [yes - praise the Lord, they rose and baked great! :)]

My contribution ended with
this first picture right here:                            It rose!                Never been able to punch bread before!

I was going to do one huge loaf, but seeing it so big was ridiculous, so I made it two.  Wish they had risen a little more "up" then "out" but oh well :)  I have plenty of time to try again!

And now, a quote I stumbled upon again:  

“Ever plan for yourself in simple dependence on God. It is nothing less than self-idolatry to conceive that we can carry on even the ordinary matters of the day without His counsel. He loves to be consulted. Consider no circumstance too clear to need his direction. In all thy ways, small as well as great; in all thy concerns, personal or relative; temporal or eternal, let Him be supreme. Who of us has not found the unspeakable ‘peace’ of bringing God matters to minute or individual to be entrusted to the most confidential ear?” - Charles Bridges

 

 Anyway, to sum all this up:  Quite literally, live in constant reliance on God, and praise Him for our daily bread, and everything in between :)

Much love.