Seeking Comfort *

And God spoke all these words, saying: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.”

Exodus 20:1-3 NKJV

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of comfort food? Bread in any form – pizza, biscuits, hot rolls, bread sticks? Ice cream? Something fried? Banana pudding? In Texas, it’s generally chicken-fried steak and gravy, with mashed potatoes and corn, with a basket of hot, yeast rolls and real butter. Whatever it is that comes to your mind, 99% of the people I know all have some sort of “comfort” food - what they eat or drink (or want to) when they’re stressed. The so-called experts say that a person’s definition of comfort food goes back to a favorite meal from childhood. I don’t know that I necessarily agree with that concept because I didn’t know about chicken-fried steak or Gringo’s green sauce when I was a child…

Not counting restaurants and grocery stores, America is obsessed with food. It seems as though the primary make up of every gas station and each convenience store basically adds up to a walk-in vending machine. In almost every hotel, any kind of waiting room in America – be it car repair or doctors’ offices - there are vending machines. It seems like 8 out of every 10 T.V. commercials are about food or drink and the 9^th one is about a medication of some kind to help you with what you ate. With billions of dollars spent to advertise, we are bombarded with slogans such as “Obey Your Thirst” "Betcha can't eat just one"  "Do you love anyone enough to give them your last _______ "  "Gimme a break! Gimme a break - break me off a piece of that _______!"    "What would you do for a  _______?"  "Gotta have my pops!"  "Have it your way" "I'm lovin' it" "Where's the beef?" "Yo quiero  _______."  "You deserve a break today."  (How many did you know?)

Is comfort/snack food bad?  In Romans 14:14, Paul writes, I know and am convinced on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. Okay… Keeping in mind that this Promise is written from MY walk, then why am I writing about comfort food? Because I was pierced in my heart with this Scripture from Isaiah 41:10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. And that was reaffirmed with Jesus’ own words, Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

I often wonder why it is we go immediately to food for comfort. Would I settle for a fake life jacket if I were drowning? Would I want a party balloon instead of oxygen if I needed help to breathe? I realize cold weather is NOT life or death for most people in most situations, but reaching for substitutes to fill God's place in our lives IS life or death. If we're cold, let's be baptized with the fire of the Holy Spirit. If we're thirsty, let's drink from the Fount of Living Water and we'll never thirst again. Instead of jelly beans, let's have Jesus. Instead of crackers, let's do Christ. Instead of hot Cheetos, let's have the Holy Spirit. I'm just saying, if we need comfort food, why not reach for the Bread of Life? There is no greater comfort.

Prayer:

Father,

         Forgive us when we reach for any substitution to comfort us, instead of You. Lord, You are our one true Comfort.  Help us to keep food and drink and all else in proper perspective and purpose. It is only through You we find what we truly need to live and move and have our being. Help us to recognize this Truth and live our lives accordingly. Father, let our lives be a living epistle of Job 23:12, I have treasured the words of Your mouth more than my daily bread. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen