Wednesday 1st July*
Give us today our daily bread.
How I ache to eat warm, fresh bread. For many people, bread is a staple food, an item that is so common that it can go underappreciated and somewhat taken for granted. I used to. However, I cannot eat regular bread because of a gluten intolerance. How I miss the joys of fresh gluten-filled bread – be that wholemeal, a white bloomer, a fresh baguette. Gluten free alternatives seem counterfeit, and they often taste more like cardboard than ciabatta: a pale and inadequate imitation of the real thing no matter how hard bakers try to make them palatable. Bread is a necessary joy. Jesus ate it, fed others with it, and broke it. It is important: it nourishes, satisfies and sustains life. We are told to pray for it daily.
Jesus says in John 6:35 that he is the bread of life and that whoever comes to him will never go hungry. This is because he is the author, sustainer, and giver of true life, life that satisfies the deepest parts of our being. Coming to him, therefore, imparts new life and brings a fulfilment that cannot be found in any alternative. He is no gluten-free substitute: he is the real deal and we need to feed from him.
Reflection
Which bread is your favourite and why?
What would life be like for you without Jesus feeding, nourishing and sustaining you?
What does Jesus’ nourishment of our women look like, and how much does he want to feed, sustain and satisfy the true desires and needs of our women?
Thanksgiving
Thank Jesus for his new life and profound love for you. Thank him again. And then again.
Let us give thanks for our wonderful bakers whose delicious creations honour and value our women (who often track us down because of our cakes).
Thank Jesus that he loves our women so profoundly that his own body was broken for them to walk free and into new life.
Prayer
That Jesus, our bread of life, would be central in everything we do, and that he would be glorified in Chosen, and that he would show up in surprising places and in surprising ways that cause us to worship and adore his work.
That he would feed hope, life and salvation to the women we serve.
That the fragrance of Christ would draw the women to us on outreach, in the Drop-In and when we visit them in prison.
Our women
Please pray for salvation, healing, strength, deliverance and new lives for our women:
Evelyn, Grace, Hannah, Harriet, Hayley, Holly.
* You are welcome to join us for prayer walking before Drop-In, meeting at the Drop-In on West End Road at 10:00am and returning at 11:00am.