Bread-Giver

Monday, 01. February 2010 by Dan Ryan

This question may sound weird, but what do you think of God?

Seriously. I’m not talking about what you’re supposed to think. Nor am I talking about what you want to think. I’m not even talking about what you think you think. I’m talking about what you actually, deeply think of this God, no matter how frightening that may be.

We’ll revisit this in a minute. First, do any of the following describe you?

* Inner peace has proven to be elusive
* You wrestle with unfulfilled dreams, unmet desires or imperfect relationships
* You struggle to explain wrong turns in your past—they seem like pointless detours

If so, read on. If not, well…read on anyway. Let’s start in the beginning: in Genesis, the leadoff book of God’s scriptures, we find Joseph. This is a guy who certainly battled with these aforementioned issues as he lived one topsy-turvy life.

If anyone in the Bible lived a story which lends itself to a Broadway production, then it’s Joseph, hands-down. Here’s a guy who was sold into slavery by his own brothers. His new owners abruptly uprooted Joseph to another continent. And just when Joseph finally seems to catch a break, he’s falsely imprisoned by his boss—his crime was loyalty—and serves a jail sentence for a couple years.

At this point, Joseph and karma are probably not on speaking terms.

But he perseveres, is freed and experiences a dramatic climb to the top of Egyptian government. Years later, Joseph is unexpectedly reunited with the same brothers who betrayed him. After all these years, they don’t recognize Joseph. Now ironically enough, they are in dire need of his help. I’m not sure what I would say to them, but it would not have been this:

“And now, do not be distressed with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.” —Genesis 45:5

Are you kidding me?! Who reacts that way? Where is Joseph finding the strength and perspective which fuel such a response? Because I want some of that.

Here’s where I would argue this is not so much an indication of what Joseph thinks of his brothers. Rather, Joseph’s response is a direct, unfiltered reflection of what he really thinks of our God. Through all these years and wrong turns, Joseph seems to be deeply in tune with an invisible Father who only has Joseph’s best interests in mind.

Shameless Plug of the Week: I listen to a fair amount of podcasts. I’ve heard some good ones and even some great ones. I’m not sure there’s a category for one I heard this week, unless “ya-gotta-hear-this” is one. Other than that, I cannot describe how impactful I found it. Do yourself a favor—for you, not me. Carve out 30 minutes some night, go to http://www.marshill.org and listen to Rob Bell’s message under the title “Ask, Seek, Knock.” Rob takes a frustrating passage (“Ask and it will be given to you…”) from Matthew 7 and unpacks how I believe God intended for us to read it all along.

2 quick points about this verse and how it ties into what we honestly think of God.

Point #1: Are you truly asking? If you are sincerely asking, Bell explains, then you are giving God the right to say no. Otherwise, our “requests” are really nothing more than a bunch of veiled demand and nicely-worded ultimatums, aren’t they?

“Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!” —Matthew 7:9-12

Here again, this is Jesus basically asking, “So what do you really think of my Father?”

Point #2: In this passage, notice Jesus never says that if we ask our Father for a fish, He will give us the fish.

For obvious reasons. Because sometimes my desires just do not lead to what’s best for me. I am not interested in a God who gives me whatever I want—that would be dangerous at best. Instead, I want to follow a God who’s a bigger fan of me than I am. I want to follow a God who relentlessly chases after what’s best for me, especially when that means denying me what I want. I only want to follow a God who loves me more than I do.

Does that describe your God? Is that what you think of Him?

If you were to ask your God to spend the afternoon together, do you believe He would show up (bread) or ditch you (stone)? If you were to trust Him with your future, would He give you the best (fish) or offer a blueprint for a lesser life (snake)? Depends on what you think of Him, I suppose.

I hope you come to re-anchor yourself to the true identity of our God as a bread-giving Father. Take inventory of all the bread in your life—from crumbs to loaves. Then decide for yourself whether He really is a bread-giving God, one whose track record shows He has earned your trust.

“But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.” —Psalm 81:16

Not just any bread—the finest of wheat. Only the very best for His kid.