How are you sustained by the word of God?
by the Rt. Rev. Kristin Uffelman White
In yesterday’s lesson from the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus has just been baptized by his cousin John. Immediately afterwards, scripture tells us that the Spirit leads him out into the desert. There, he fasts for forty days. He’s hungry, the gospel tells us.
And then the tempter appears, knowing Jesus has been out there, knowing he’s famished. “Turn these stones to bread,” Satan says.
“We do not live on bread alone,” Jesus responds, “but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
I’m grateful for the ways that scripture acknowledges Jesus’ humanity: he hasn’t eaten for forty days, and he’s hungry. Of course he’s hungry. Even so, he does not fall to Satan’s temptation to turn from trusting in God.
Beloved, how are you sustained by the word of God? What particular passages nourish you in your life of faith, especially in this season of Lent?
