Fish and Bread

I'm so happy to see my friends at Good Sam after my travels to visit family.
I would like to share some stories of my travels with you and to praise God for His goodness meanwhile.

My new family lives in the Spanish city of Bilbao, a formerly industrial city shifting now towards tourism. Among many distinctives, the food is incredible. The men are the cooks. They gather in gastronomy clubs just to perfect their culinary art. The men in my husband's family, including my husband, are very good cooks. The sea and the river winding through the string of villages bring the many of the rich resources for delicious meals. At times while walking along the river or by the sea from high cliffs, we saw men gathering snails and clams and crabs. Others were fishing from architecturally astounding bridges, some modern, some built by the Romans. So many kinds of fish and so many ways to prepare it! And of course I must comment on the bread too... Fresh baked every day, long crusty loaves. In the homes of my in-laws we ate so well, and so much. Am I making you hungry? God is so good to provide us our daily bread. More than the good food, He provided for us in many ways during our trip, safety, beautiful surroundings, hospitality, love, shelter, rest, His guidance and presence. He blessed my husband and I with a wonderful time getting to know each other, his family and our cultures. God is so good. He knows what we need for each day.

I found some similarities in the Basque culture and that of Jesus and his disciples. Geographically they enjoyed the sea of Galilee, the Jordan River and surrounding hillside. They enjoyed seafood and bread, too. I recall the story of his feeding the 5000 from 2 fish and 5 loaves as he taught the multitudes on the mountainside by the sea. It is good to reflect on God's provision for us. Jesus demonstrated his love for us supremely on the cross and in many ways through his acts of compassion like healing the sick and providing food. This story is also to teach us that we need more than just physical nourishment, we need to feed on the Word of God, on Jesus' teachings. God is so good to satisfy our longings with His truths. I thank God for His preserving the Bible for us to feed on His Word. The need to be satisfied is the same today in Socorro and in Spain as it was for Jesus' audience. We often make the wrong choices in trying to feel satisfied, but let us be reminded that only Jesus can provide for our EVERY need. He fills us to overflowing. Am I making you hungry to read His word?

Let us read together this familiar story, the Feeding of the 5000: Matthew 14:13-21

Did you know that in the next chapter there is a story of the Feeding of the 4,000? This time, Jesus tests His disciples to see if they have learned to turn to Jesus for their provisions and I believe the account attests to their growing faith. Once again Jesus, moved with compassion towards the needs of His followers, provides for them, with a superabundance.

Let us not only look to God to satisfy our earthly appetites, but let us also look to Him to fill us with His Holy Spirit and His truth.