• “I was poor in the midst of riches, and ready to perish with hunger near a table plentifully spread and a continual feast. Oh, Beauty, ancient and new! Why have I known thee so late? Alas, I sought thee where thou wast not, and did not seek thee where thou wast…” – Madame Guyon

Mary A. Lathbury

The  Story  Behind Break  Thou  the Bread  of Life

This   beautiful devotional hymn  wa s   wr i t t en  in  1880  a s   a  ” s tudy  song”  for   a  group  of   students  gathe r ed for   conf e r enc e   a t  Lake   Chaut auqua ,   New York,   a  mos t   f i t t ing  s e t t ing  for   such  a  song.

I t s   author   wa s   the   daught e r   of   a  Me thodi s t   mini s t e r .   Ea r ly in  l i f e   she  showed  evidenc e   of   unusua l   poe t i c   t a l ent .   One   day  God’ s   Spi r i t   spoke   to he r ,   “Remembe r ,   My  chi ld,   you  have   a  gi f t   for   wr i t ing  ve r s e ;   cons e c r a t e  thi s  to Me   a s   you  do  your  inmos t  spi r i t . “

Having he a rd the   c a l l ,   she   gave   up  he r  t e a ching  of   a r t  and  devot ed  he r -s e l f   to  edi tor i a l   work  and wr i t ing  for   Sunday  s chool   pe r iodi c a l s .   The   r e -sul t   of   he r   cons e c r a t ion  brought   untold  bl e s s ing  to  many- – – e spe c i a l ly  by me ans   of   thi s   hymn and anothe r ,   “Day i s   Dying in  the  We s t , ”   a l so  written in  1880  for   Chaut auqua   a s   a  ve spe r   song.

Share to Google Plus

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

  • “I henceforth take Jesus Christ to be mine. I promise to receive Him as a husband to me. And I give myself to Him, unworthy though I am, to be His spouse. I ask of Him, in this marriage of spirit with spirit, that I may be of the same mind with Him — meek, pure, nothing in myself, and united in God’s will. And, pledged as I am to be His, I accept as part of my marriage portion, the temptations and sorrows, the crosses and the contempt which fell to Him. — Jeanne M.B. de la Mothe Guyon, Sealed with her ring.”

Copyrighted works are the property of the copyright holders. All works are shown free of charge for educational purposes only in accordance with fair use guidelines. If we have inadvertently included a copyrighted work that the copyright holder does not wish to be displayed, we will remove it within 48 hours upon notification by the owner or the owner’s legal representative.

Verse of the Day

For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation. — Psalm 149:4 (NKJV)

Stay Connected

Recent Comments

Return to Homepage