Dear Explorer,
Okay, so yesterday we got Jesus and his disciples to a solitary place called Bethsaida and then, suddenly, a crowd shows up. Jesus preaches and heals and spends the whole day ministering and I'm sure the disciples are busy with taking care of the crowd's needs. And it gets to be dinner time. Let's read the accounts. You'll notice that there is a lot of variation. I think that may be because it was so crowded and different people saw various things. So, here we go.
Read Matthew 14:15-17
What did Jesus say when the disciples suggested He send the people away to eat?
What did the disciples say?
We don't have enough to even feed ourselves!
Read Mark 6:35-38
What did Mark record the disciples saying to Jesus' command?
We don't have enough money!
Read Luke 9:12-14
Now, I can usually come up with enough food to feed maybe 6 unexpected guests, but how many are we talking about?
Please notice, Luke says there were 5,000 men there. He didn't count the women and children because remember at that time they didn't count – but they still needed food.
So, if half the men brought their wives, and each of them brought an average of 3 kids…. No, let's not do math! Let's just say there were lots of people there!
Read John 6:5-9
And here we have the nugget (no not chicken nuggets), the great truth, that I want you to see. Why did Jesus ask the disciples to feed all the people?
Because He knew what He was going to do! So why did He ask them to feed them?
Because He knew they couldn't! And it was vitally important that they know that, too.
Here's the point. We can't and won't see Jesus accomplish miracles until we get to the end of our resources. If there's a way for us to meet that need with our own resources – we won't turn to Jesus for help. I believe that credit cards were Satan's plan to get Jesus' followers not only into debt – but also into SELF reliance instead of relying on Jesus. Do you know what Jesus' followers used to do when they didn't have food, or clothing or transportation? They prayed - and God provided. Do you know what most followers of Jesus do now when they need things? They put it on their credit card and hope that God will help them to pay it off someday. Be careful here.
I sprained my knee the afternoon before I was supposed to lead a Youth Vacation Bible School the next night. It was a nasty sprain. It turned black and blue immediately and swelled up and was very, very painful. I cried out to God and asked Him to send another worker to do the VBS because I knew I couldn't do it. I called everyone I knew, and no one wanted to touch that particular group of kids! I called the pastor and asked if we could change the date. Again, a resounding dead end. I prayed about cancelling the group since that seemed like the only option. As I was praying, I felt God's presence. I was crying my eyes out because I had really wanted to work with these kids and was so excited about doing it and felt it was what God had called me to do, etc. etc. But God finally got my attention. I thought I heard Him saying, “Why don't you ask me to heal you?” He led me to Psalms 27:8 where it says, “When Thou saidst, Seek my face, my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, O Lord, will I seek.” (KJV). Now that's just a fancy way of saying, “If God tells you to ask Him for healing – then ask Him for healing!” So, I did.
I was in my early 40's but had never asked God for anything that specific. I did it because He told me to and because I was desperate. Guess what? Nothing happened. My knee was terrible all evening and night – but I eventually got some sleep. But when I got out of bed the next morning – there was no evidence of a sprain – no bruise, no swelling, no pain. God had totally healed my knee and I was able to teach the youth in a powerful way because God had shown me that I could trust Him completely with the details.
I wonder what amazing things God has planned to do for you – when you quit relying on your SELF and learn to depend on Him and trust Him for every detail!
In His service, dale
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