Your soul has a big appetite. A filling meal is on the table. You can find spiritual satisfaction.

We all know what it’s like for life to crowd out the practice of God’s presence. We get busy. Distractions are everywhere. We face problems and crises.

But God invites us to a better way.

He told Moses, “You shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before me regularly” (Exodus 25:30).

This was a regulation for the Tabernacle, the transportable tent where Israel worshiped during their desert wanderings. It became the model for the permanent Temple.

So, what does this have to do with practicing God’s presence? The Temple is a metaphor for body and soul. First Corinthians 6:19 says to Christians, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?”

The bread of the presence

The temple had three sections: the courtyard, the holy place, and the most holy place.

The most holy place, containing the ark of the covenant, had the very presence of God. This corresponds to God’s presence in you that never leaves. He has united with you, and that’s that. You can’t practice it; he’s there.

The area outside the most holy place was the holy place and had three pieces of furniture: a table for burning incense, a lampstand, and a table for the Bread of the Presence.

The priests put twelve fresh loaves of bread on that table weekly to replace the stale bread of the previous week. The fresh bread of God’s presence was not in the holy place unless the priest did something.

So it is with us. Normally we need to attend to God’s presence in order to experience it. We can’t rely on old bread. We need to keep presenting fresh bread through prayer, worship, turning our thoughts to God, and so on.

Soul food

Bread is an important metaphor. It was the daily food staple of the Israelites. God uses this metaphor to teach that his presence is the daily food of our souls. Nothing is more satisfying or delicious to our spirit than God’s presence.

Jesus said, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35).

If you truly experience God’s presence, it is more satisfying than media entertainment, smart phone activity, human conversation, food, pleasure, or work.

Find spiritual satisfaction even in a crisis

Moreover, God’s presence is available at the hardest times. David said, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies” (Psalm 23:5).

He literally experienced that when fleeing from King Saul’s assassins. David went to the temple and asked the priest for something to eat. The priest gave him the Bread of the Presence. (Mark 2:25–26; 1 Samuel 21:1–6)

The lesson for you is, the satisfying bread of God’s presence is available if you have assassins at your heels.

If you feel everything is going wrong.

If you feel worse has come to worst.

When you are tired, alone, afraid, stressed, worried, sick, hungry, bankrupt, unemployed, rejected, persecuted, homeless, hospitalized.

God’s presence is available to you.

So eat the bread of heaven. Every hour of every day. He wants to be with you even in terrible times.