The disciples told Jesus, “Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat.” But Jesus said, “You guys feed them.”
“With what?” they asked… “How much bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and find out.” They came back and reported, “We have 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.”
Jesus took their little, looked to heaven, gave thanks, broke the bread, and fed the huge crowd (5000 + people). Everyone ate to their satisfaction and there were twelve baskets of food left over. (Paraphrase ofMark 6:36-38, 41-43)
Lord Jesus, the context and circumstances vary, but like your rookie disciples, we all face overwhelming needs with insufficient resources but with you nearby. That pretty well summarizes our life of faith between your resurrection and return. Mathematically, I might tell the story in this equation:
5000 family units + 12 rookie caregivers + 5 loaves and 2 fish = Jesus better show up and be big in this story.
Hallelujah, you did “show up” and you continue to show up. All of us are facing huge needs in different sectors of life—in our families, businesses, ministries, transitions, crises of various sorts, etc. We can respond in a number of ways.
(1) We can—like the disciples, turn prayer into a means of telling you what to do—as though you are oblivious and need us to inform and motivate you.
(2) We can see challenges as an opportunity to showcase our individual awesomeness—hoping to be noticed and celebrated. Disciples Peter, James, and John come to mind—when I should really be thinking of the ways I default to this mode.
(3) We can humble ourselves before you and knowing that our weakness and inadequacy are good gifts—as long as we keep your sufficiency and faithfulness in view, along with the unique contributions of those around us.
Jesus, thank you for writing us into your story, and for extending your compassion, care, and Kingdom to us and through us. We will leave being awesome to you. So Very Amen.
