Yesterday I was reading John 6, about the feeding of the 5000, or 20,000 if you want to be that way about it. Jesus lifts His eyes and sees the multitudes coming towards Him. Throngs of people, each with a myriad of problems. Jesus saw all the issues, sickness and sin, relational and financial troubles, spiritual bankruptcy and personal poverty. All of it lay bare and naked before the eyes of Christ. But rather than all of that, He deals with something that, comparatively, seems small and trivial. "How are we going to feed them, Philip?" I believe He fully intended to deal with the other needs, healing their sick, preaching the kingdom of heaven, speaking parables that brought clarity to the law that had for so long been unattainable and darkened by the bureaucracy of the religious elite. But for now, let's just meet the simple, most basic need they have: they need lunch.
Predictably, Philip responds in much the same way that I would have, and indeed, have responded many times. "Lord, two hundred denarii would not be enough money to give everyone of these people just a little bit of food. We can't afford to give everyone a taste, let alone serve them a full meal!"
O thou of little faith. Does the Maker of heaven and earth have need of your money? No. What I am looking for is the seed of your faith.
Then Andrew pipes up, a little more optimistic then his friend over there. "Well, there is a young boy here who has 5 loaves of bread and 2 small fish. . ." and as if recognizing the inanity of what he was saying while he was saying it, he adds, "but what is that among so many?"
O generation of unbelief! Does the Giver of Life have need of your resources? No! I knew what I would do when I walked up this mountain. I knew what I would do when I saw the crowds coming. I knew what I would do when I asked Philip where we could get the bread from. And I know that at the end of the day, there will be 12 baskets of fragments leftover. Do you believe, my friends? How long will you set your sights on temporary, physical fixes? What will you do when you run out of answers? Will you doubt My hand and My goodness? You have walked with Me long enough that you ought to know by now that if you'd only believe, you would see the glory of God.
In the early 1800s there was a man to whom God asked a similar question. "What will we do, George, with the orphans of England?" George Muller was not a man of position, influence or wealth. But he was a man of faith, and he figured that if God cared enough about the issue to ask the question, He cared enough to provide the answer. By the end of his life, George Muller cared for some 10,000 orphans, and built schools that enable 120,000 children to receive an education, most of whom would never have had the opportunity to set foot inside a schoolroom. He never solicited for money, no fundraiser banquets, no radio or TV beg-a-thons, no collection table outside of the local butcher stall, no 5K run in the countryside. Just faith. Faith that the God of the Bible was the same yesterday, today and forever. He believed and he saw the glory of God. Not only were thousands of children cared for in a home with a family that loved them, but they both heard and saw the love of Jesus, and when planted in their hearts, it sprung up and bore eternal fruit.
What about me, today? I know that I am at a point in my life where all I can see are the obstacles on the road, the fallen trees, the potholes and the 'No Trespassing' signs. I find myself evaluating situations and decision that must be made based on what seems most plausible, without realizing that with God all things are possible. He has no need of my resources, abilities or connections. He only asks for an empty vessel, willing to be filled up with Himself and poured out on others, only to be filled again. What can be considered ludicrous in the hands of the Almighty? Is there anything too difficult for God?
Tell the people to sit down, Meag. It's time to eat.
"The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, 'Son of man, can these bones live?' So I answered, 'O Lord God, You know.'" Ezekial 37:1-3,
