Waiting on the Bread of Life: Darius Johnson
Waiting. We’ve all had to wait in some way or another. We’ve waited in lines for food. We’ve waited on our laundry to finish. Maybe we’ve waited for thirty minutes at the hospital or for hours at the DMV. But how about waiting for the Lord? It can feel awkward, confusing, sometimes dumb. During these waiting periods, you can leave your rhythms, lose your calling, or lose faith that God is who he says he is.
These periods are actually a normal thing. A part of the ups and downs of life. In our Isaiah reading, Babylon had besieged Judah, destroying Solomon’s Temple, leaving the people feeling farther from God than ever before. Scholars believe Isaiah 40-55 was written by someone other than Isaiah, preaching hope in their waiting season.
In our Gospel reading, the people of Israel are coming to Jesus in droves, each hungry for their own personal miracle. Some have been waiting their entire lives for this moment, face to face with the God-man.
And me, I feel like I’ve been in a waiting season my entire life. It started with God waiting on me to give him my life. Then, it was me waiting for a God given purpose. Then, me waiting for God to heal my back. Then, me waiting for opportunities to share Christ with others. And I will never forget the six months of waiting for a car.
So yes, we will have to wait on God, but what is the correct way to do that? Well, refer to the Psalmist. When the eyes of all mankind look hopefully towards Jesus, he will give them their food in due season. Let me break that down. To get the food (the bread of life God earnestly wants for us), we must wait on God with our eyes set on him, doing what this ministry does so well: praying, reading the Word, living by and for Christ. We also must be hopeful because God is a God of hope. We must give up doubt and replace it with faith that God will do the impossible. Isaiah says so eloquently, “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not grow faint.” Wait with God.
Amen.
Darius is a sophomore at Louisiana Tech majoring in Accounting. He enjoys singing, making music, and playing instruments. Since becoming a part of our community last school year and a member of our worship band, we have been so blessed to experience Darius’s talent and passion not just for music, but for the Lord Himself. His joyful demeanor and palpable dedication to his faith have been a great encouragement to our ministry, Please pray that Darius would continue to experience even more joy in his walk with Christ!