Break Down The Bread of Life To Me

Break Thou the bread of life, dear Lord, to me,
As Thou didst break the loaves beside the sea;
Beyond the sacred page I seek Thee, Lord;
My spirit pants for Thee, O living Word!

Bless Thou the truth, dear Lord, to me, to me,
As Thou didst bless the bread by Galilee;
Then shall all bondage cease, all fetters fall;
And I shall find my peace, my all in all.

Thou art the bread of life, O Lord, to me,
Thy holy Word the truth that saveth me;
Give me to eat and live with Thee above;
Teach me to love Thy truth, for Thou art love.

O send Thy Spirit, Lord, now unto me,
That He may touch my eyes, and make me see:
Show me the truth concealed within Thy Word,
And in Thy Book revealed I see the Lord.


The above lyrics in the first two verses were written by Mary A. Lathbury in 1877, while verses 3-4 were added on by Alexander Groves in the Wesleyan Methodist Magazine (London: September 1913). The music was by William F. Sherwin, 1877.

http://www.berita-bethel-ung.com has adopted the title of this hymn, “Break Thou the Bread of Life to Me" for a new section to link together three other sub-headings:

1. Loaves and Fishes,
2. Basketsful of Fragments, and
3. Filled Full.

It is very apparent that all the terms used have to do with Jesus’ Feeding of the Five Thousand in Galilee as recorded in all the four Gospels – the only miracle of our Lord to be so recorded.

Here is a brief explanation on why these terms are chosen and the intents and contents for each.

The first line of Mary A. Lathbury’s lovely hymn “Break Thou the Bread of Life to Me” is chosen as the theme of this section for the following reasons:-

1. It is a prayer to the Lord acknowledging that this section has to do with His Bread of Life (the Word of God) and only He can Break it into suitable and appropriate portions to satisfy the needs of each individual who receives it from Him.

2. “The Bread of Life” has to do with messages related to the Word of God.

3. “Break Thou” – only the Lord Himself through the Agency of the Holy Spirit can take of these messages in the section and apply them to the needs of the individuals. He knows their varied needs. Only He alone can break the Bread up into smaller portions according to the capacity and capability of the person concerned to take it in to fill full his/her own needs.

4. “to me” makes this prayer individual and personal. It is a prayer to the Lord to make what the person reads to be made meaningful and applicable to his own individual needs in life.