Do your eternal good in the world

JOHN 6:24-35

So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?" Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal." Then they said to him, "What must we do to perform the works of God?" Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." So they said to him, "What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" Then Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always."
Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."

Our vision is so small, Lord.
There you are,
Lord of Heaven and Earth,
standing right before us,
and all we can see is small temporary needs.
We ask for bread to fill our stomachs,
but you offer bread to fill our lives.

Lord,
in a conversation recently,
I was reminded of the prayer lists
I kept in a journal in college.
At the time, those things seemed so BIG so urgent...
then just a few months later
I'd reread those same lists and realize how you took care of it.
I was amazed to see, in hindsight,
the thread of grace you were weaving in my life.

Today my needs still seem urgent and big, and they are.
But Lord, lift my eyes again
to see your face,
to see the light in your eyes,
to see the larger picture, the long view:
the view that shows me ways
that you are working
in me, through me, in spite of me
and through others
to do your eternal good in the world.
Amen.