The disciples assumed Yeshua needed earthly bread to find strength, but he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about” (John 4:32). This “hidden bread” (i.e., lechem ha-nistar: לֶחֶם הַנִסְתָּר) was the passion and joy He had doing the will of God… Notice how the Teacher often used metaphors to elevate the thinking of his students. Earthly bread is a shadow of a deeper reality. Just as physical bread is a means to physical life, so “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that God speaks” (Deut. 8:4; Matt. 4:4). Therefore Yeshua is the true manna, the “Living Bread” (לֶחֶם חַיִּים) from heaven that sustains us in “the desert” of this world. He is the One who truly satisfies the heart by removing the inner pain of our emptiness and hunger.
The problem with many of us is not that we are so hungry, but rather that we are not hungry enough… We settle for junk food when God spreads out his banqueting table before us. There is a deeper hunger of the Spirit, and I pray we are all touched by heavenly hunger pangs; there is a “blessed hunger and thirst” that feeds our heart’s cry for God (Matt. 5:6); there is a “divine discontent” that leads to a deeper sense of contentment for the heart…
It seems to me to be a test, as we have walked with the LORD for some time, to learn where to find what we really need… Hunger is a “messenger” that calls us to partake of life. All food is inherently sacrificial. When we experience hunger, inordinate desire, etc., then we are given the opportunity to bring our hearts before God to find His comfort and have our needs met… but should we disregard this grace, we will inevitably resort to seeking comfort elsewhere, and that leads us to waste places and trouble…
Only Jesus truly satisfies; only Jesus gives us life… The Spirit of God’s love calls out, “Seek Me and live” (Amos 5:4). If you are feeling empty today, ask God to feed you with His life-giving bread. Seek the LORD and His goodness. He is faithful and true and will surely answer the sincere cry of the heart: “You will seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:13).
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