Soul Food

There are a few local restaurants known for down-home cooking.  Their food selections resemble Nanny’s kitchen: fried chicken, okra, black eyed peas, butter beans, fresh cobbler, and [let’s not forget] those cathead biscuits with lots of butter and homemade jelly.  Oh, my, I can smell down-home cooking right now!

Jehovah God cares deeply about spiritual nourishment.  Those down-home delicacies are often referred to as "soul food," a phrase which originated in the southeastern United States, referring to local southern cuisine.  When difficulties arise in our lives, it's usually not long before we realize how weak we are in the face of them.  Sadly, many Christians turn away from God in times of crisis, which only further hinders our resolve.  God told us through His prophet, "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My Righteousness." (Isaiah 41:10).  When we find ourselves in the grip of fear or hopelessness, it is in and by His Grace we are firmly held.  It is God Who strengthens, helps, and holds us in times of trouble as well as times of calm.  And, as Spurgeon puts it, "when Divine Strength comes, human weakness is no more a hindrance."  By the time it's battered, fried, and buttered, down-home cooking (soul food) isn't exactly the healthiest, nonetheless we can trust God’s provision for the soul of man to be the complete Nourishment and All-Sustaining.  What He offers is both food for the soul and health for the heart.  Be sure to have your Soul Food today!