Day 5 - Now Hear the Word

The leader from Michigan used the "Feeding of the Five Thousand" passage and discussed a group of monks who practiced "chewing on the Word." They would meditate for days (sometimes without eating or sleeping), to draw every drop of meaning from what they read. Since we did not have time to do that here, we would only spend about five minutes. The leader from Michigan would read, then let us meditate for a minute, then say "Now Hear the Word of the Lord." Then he would re-read the passage.

I focused on how I had found strength in the Word today. The song "As the Deer Thirsts for the Water" is based on the 42nd Psalm. Jesus provided strength to me, in the same way he satisfied physical hunger among the five thousand. Jesus is also the "bread of life" because he satisfies a spiritual hunger for God.

When devotional finished, our group gathered for a final meeting. There Chuck expressed uncertainty about whether he should stay in Louisiana, or return home to visit his parents. His dad was having an operation, and since he was on medications to reduce clotting, he'd had trouble healing in the past. Then we prayed for Chuck.