By Guest Writer Grace WernerJesus has a way of doing things differently. And not just differently, but sooo much better than we go about doing them. In Mark 6 we come across a story where Jesus was teaching the crowds and it was getting late. His disciples suggested that Jesus send the people home, but Jesus being Jesus replies saying that “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” (v. 37)
When the disciples could only collect five loaves and two fish, Jesus takes what little they had in these circumstances, and somehow beyond our own understanding, not only fed everyone in the crowd, but ended up with twelve baskets of leftovers.
I’ve always wondered what it might have been like to be someone in that crowd, or to be a disciple of Jesus who originally held five loaves of bread in my hands, only to have to make multiple trips in the end to collect all that was leftover. Not only did Jesus satisfy their immediate needs, He exceeded them, providing more than they could have asked for or expected.
God knows what we need. He understands the desires of our heart, and the things we need to survive. I don’t need to tell God that in order to live, I need to eat. In the Old Testament, God provided manna (edible substance) for the Israelites for 40 years after they had left Egypt and were pursuing The Promised Land. After a long and difficult journey, the Israelites finally arrived. In Joshua 5:12 it says “The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan.”
This in itself is a testimony to God’s faithfulness. He knew that while still in the desert they needed to eat, so He provided manna. When they arrived to the land where they were promised the produce and everything else that they needed, God recognized that manna was no longer necessary. God provides what He knows we need, but He also comes through on what He’s promised.
The Israelites and this crowd that Jesus was preaching to aren’t the only ones though who witnessed God’s goodness and his graciousness.
In Judges 7, God proves His might by leading Gideon and his army to victory after purposefully placing them within a context in which logic, experience and human understanding would deem victory an impossible feat. With only 300 men against an army of thousands, not only did the Lord protect Gideon and his men, but He was faithful in leading them to a success that would have been impossible without divine intervention.
The story of Esther is one where we see God at work again, not only keeping Esther and her people safe, but leading them to redemption, promotion and newfound power in Him.
Over, and over again, God proves Himself almighty and all knowing. In the circumstances that to us look impossible, is often where God proves that He works in ways bigger and more complex than we can imagine or understand.
So my question is this then. If God has demonstrated His faithfulness, His power, His understanding, and His plan over and over and over again … why do I still doubt Him?
Why do you still doubt Him?
In their small, human minds, the disciples didn’t understand how Jesus could possibly expect them to feed a crowd of five thousand people, with five loaves of bread and two fish. And if we’re perfectly honest with ourselves, I think this would be a pretty relatable response if we were to be in their shoes.
I don’t know you and I don’t know your heart, but I know that it is pretty easy to be overwhelmed with life and many of the “big questions” that come with it. Who am I? What am I here for? Where do I go next? What will my life look like? How do I get there? Am I getting in the way of His plan for me?
Yet amidst all of these uncertainties and questions, I also can tell you this with confidence:
No matter where you are or what direction you are heading in, the Holy Spirit is there to guide you.
Isaiah 30:21 – “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” You can be confident that He will guide you in the way He wants you to go.
Psalms 25:12 – “Who, them, are those who fear the Lord? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.”
You might not understand or know everything, but He does.
Philippians 4:6-7 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which TRANSCENDS ALL UNDERSTANDING, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Sometimes His answer will be something we don’t understand; that’s ok. That’s expected. And this is good! This is how He takes your weakness, and in His strength makes it whole and perfect.
He has plans for you, He will open the doors needed to fulfill His plans for you, He makes things new and He is mighty through it all.
Isaiah 43:16-19 – “This is what the Lord says — he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
I think the thing that gets me the most excited is what God promises us. This is what He declares over your life and mine:
I have uniquely designed the spirit inside you (Zechariah 12:1)
I have brought you here for a time such as this (Esther 4:14)
I will place things on your heart, intimately between you and I (Nehemiah 2:12)
I will show you your future, and fill you with joy (Psalm 16:11)
I have made you full, whole and complete in me (Colossians 2:10)
I am mighty and I will lift you up in perfect timing (1 Peter 5:6)
I will use your to further my kingdom when you choose to follow me (Mark 1:17)
I will lead you when you don’t understand, just trust me (Proverbs 3:5)
I understand everything when you and others do not (Isaiah 40:28)
I know your heart before you say anything (Matthews 6:8)
We are called to wait expectantly for the Lord (Psalms 27:14). The original root word of the word “wait” is qavah, and it means “to wait, look for, hope, expect, eagerly await, hopefully wait for”. While we wait to see Jesus move in our lives, knowing that He will because He says so, we can wait with hope, and with joy, being eager to see what He does.
Part of this expectant waiting, is trusting that in situations that seem too big, or too impossible or difficult for us, are fully within His control. Mark 8:35 says that if we want to find our life, we first need to lose it to Him and His gospel.
To finish then I want to ask you to consider this: knowing that the God of the universe is able to “do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20), what does it look like for you to lose your life to Him?
Where in your life can you trust Him to feed the five thousand?
Where can you recognize that the circumstances are well out of your control, but well within his?
Where can you say “Jesus, come and move in BIG ways.”
Hey there! I’m Grace, it’s nice to meet you:) I’m 21 and have grown up in Edmonton for my whole life; my time is often filled with school (I’m 4 months away from being an RN!!), running, lots of people/family and photography. Mountains, ocean and big trees all call my name, and I have an odd love for doing errands haha. Hope you enjoyed!
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