"'Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him..."' (Luke 11:5).

This was a midnight request and the friend's response is understandable: "Do not trouble me; the door is now shut.”  While most often our friends do not knock at midnight, it seems that quite often the knocking comes at inconvenient times.  Even as I write, the phone and doorbell have rung five times!  At the moment, I am identifying with the friend's response, yet I cannot escape the timing of this unusual amount of solicitation.  Perhaps I need this as an illustration to remind me of the One to Whom many came, day and night.   

Did Jesus ever say to those seeking Him, "Do not trouble Me; the door is now shut"?  No.  It is not that He was never busy, nor that He never sought quiet places, but He knew the purpose of His days.  Whether awakened from sleep, pressed by crowds, or interrupted from prayer because, as Simon said, "Everyone is looking for You," His response was always "It is for this that I was sent forth.”

Have I been wakened from sleep by a restless child, or kept awake by someone needing to talk?  Have I begun a project or chore and been inconvenienced by a seemingly trivial matter?  Have I been interrupted when I needed solitude?  Are there times when "everyone" is looking for me or when I have nothing left to give?  Oh, yes; haven’t we all?  But we have a Friend to Whom we may come with our “three-loaf requests.”  He is the Bread of life. 

Partake of the Bread and you will know better the purpose of your day.  Partake of the Bread and will never have nothing left to give to all the “everyone’s” in your life.