Waiting on Suddenly...

There are many times that we live our lives almost in a fog expecting this day to be the same as the days before.  We live in a time warp, where every day is similar to the next, until, suddenly, there is something different.   Most of the time, I think, because we are on auto pilot, in our lives we aren’t even aware of the people around us that may have contributed to the suddenly. 

Many people are struggling to make it through the day, to maintain composure and have the people around them believe that they are happy with their lives, but most of us, I believe, are living in a silent time warp of sadness.  We are waiting daily for our suddenly to arrive and most of the time it arrives at a time we least expect it and from the source we so often overlook. 

I believe this was the case when the disciples were trying to figure out how to feed the 5,000 men, that is not counting women and children, who had gathered to hear Jesus speak.   Jesus was concerned with feeding the mass of people but not concerned with how he was going to do so.  The disciples were concerned with how they were going to feed them. 

Jesus had asked Phillip in John 6:5-6 if he knew of anywhere they could buy bread and Phillip could not come up with an answer, and even though Jesus knew what he had planned, he waited for the disciples to give other suggestions.

It was at that time Andrew chimed in, with there is a boy here who has five loaves of bread and two small fish, but surely, that is not enough to feed all these people.   That was the answer Jesus was looking for.  That was the open door for Jesus to walk through and show the disciples and the people where their provision should come from. 

Jesus had asked the disciples to have the people sit down, and they did, first act of obedience, which as we know, obedience to God’s commands pleases God and allows him to work in your situation.   After the people were all settled in the green pasture Jesus took the loaves and gave thanks to God for the blessings he has already given to us. 

I think that Jesus wanted the people to be sitting down, so they would be settled enough to see what Jesus was about to do.  He wanted them to see that there were only five loaves of bread, and two fish and from that their baskets would be overflowing with provision from God.   If Jesus would have prayed and asked God for his provision during the chaos of them sitting down, the impact of the miracle could have been lost on the people.

After Jesus prayed, he handed the baskets full of bread and fish to the disciples and told them to feed the people, and they should take all they want.  You can read this story in John 6 but I assume that we are all pretty familiar with this miracle. 

What I know I have missed in this miracle are the little details.  There is a purpose behind every word, every thought and every action that Jesus does during his time on earth.  He wasn’t careless with his decisions, he knew that many eyes were watching him, so he needed to have intent behind everything that would leave a lasting impression on the many people he met while here on earth.   I believe this is one of those times.

I mentioned earlier how we never know where our suddenly is going to come and that most of the time I believe it comes in the shape of someone we overlook.  In this case, that is exactly what happened.  If you notice in this story, which I am reading out of the Amplified Bible, there is only one mention of a child in this story.  There is no mention of children or women, just this one singular child, who came prepared with food. 

This child to me signifies that your blessing, miracle or whatever you want to call it can and will most of the time come in the person least expected.  I am sure when the disciples asked the child for his food they thought Jesus was crazy.  How are we going to feed all of these people off of this child’s food?  The child was the vehicle for the blessing.  The child was what God worked his miracle through.  Obviously, Jesus played a large part in all of this but the unsung hero, for lack of better words, was the child, who wasn’t worthy of being counted among the masses.

I know that I have felt many times in my life that I wasn’t worthy of some of the blessings in my life, or why would God ever use me to spread his word.  I think like the boy with the five loaves of bread, and two fish, God uses the least likely candidate to speak through.

He will take a person, like me for instance, who has experienced many years of abuse of all kinds, someone the world wouldn’t expect much of and raise them up to a place where people have to look and wonder.   God will take the person whose life has roughed them up, has hardened their hearts and bring them into focus for the world to see.  He will do this so that the world can see the restoration and transformation of this person’s life.  I think he also does this because when life has you so stripped down you MUST have Jesus, to survive.

 
A person who needs healing, love, confidence, respect, stability and comfort is a person God can work through to show himself true to the people around them.  He can take this person who has lacked so much and make them the envy of so many.  And all the while that person, who is experiencing Jesus for themselves will Glorify God the whole way through.  

They know where they came from and they can see where God is taking them and when you have nothing either financially, emotionally or both ways and your life changes before your eyes, you know that’s God.  

When Jesus told the disciples to gather the leftover food after the 5,000 plus had eaten, they had twelve baskets left over.  Do you understand there wasn’t enough of the boys food to fill one basket but when they had all ate and ate till they were full, there were twelve baskets left over!  Praise God. 

Jesus is saying to us here, I will take every broken piece, every scrap, every leftover you have and I will gather it and I will cherish it.  I will make it into your abundance.  I will make your cup (basket) over flow with the abundance of my heart and blessings. 

Remember there is a method to every step Jesus takes.  Jesus knew that he was going to take what was so little and make it so much more than ever needed.   He was using the opportunity to teach the people and us, so many years later, that no matter what you have, if you will dedicate it to God you will never lack.  You will never be in need when you have God. 

There were twelve baskets left!  Twelve, from five loaves of bread and two fish.  Imagine, if you can, giving God all that you have left, and I am not just talking about money here, I am talking about you.  Giving God you, that’s all you have left.  You have you!  Take that and give it to God.  Just imagine what he can do with a life surrendered to him.   What can he do with something that can glorify him to the world?  If he can take bread and fish into abundance, what can he do with a person who can speak his word, live his word, be an example of his word and glorify his word! 

There is no limit to what God can do with a person who surrenders their life to him.  

This story of the five loaves of bread and two fish was always a story that stirred my heart, but never in a way it has today.  I never looked at it from this perspective until God allowed me to see it that way right now. 

Jesus called a boy, who wasn’t worth being counted, turned his offering into abundance and then blessed over 5,000 people with it.  Oh and there were twelve baskets leftover, so the blessing was spilling over and can continue being passed forward?

The Bible is an amazing book, as I know we all are aware but to take a story that I have heard, seen in movies, and yet, still find a way to renew my Faith tonight, God is just amazing. 

I hope that this new revelation for me, whether it is new to you or not, stirs up your spirit and reminds you of the God you serve!  The God of the Impossible.  The God of Abundance.  The God of Provision.  The God who is Faithful to meet your needs.  I hope that this takes your love of God to a new level, as I know it has mine. 

If you are one of the uncounted people, one of the people who doesn’t know God intimately, and say I want to know personally a God who can turn small things into amazing things, I ask you to pray and believe this simple prayer.   Say these words out loud and believe in your heart and know that the God, who has done all the things you have heard about, read about or dreamed about is now the God you are serving and his love for you is abundant!

 

Dear Father

Thank you for Jesus.  Thank you for the sacrifice Jesus made, for me, on the cross.  Thank you Lord for sending your one, unique son, to die so that I may have life, for eternity, with you, in Heaven.  Lord, I believe that you sent your son to die on the cross for me.  To shed his blood for me, so that my sins are forever more forgiven and forgotten.  I ask you God to come into my life and change me Lord.  Send your Holy Spirit to come and live in me and change me from the Inside out.  I commit my life to you God and I thank you that my name is now written in the Lambs Book of Life.  I thank you God that I am now yours and you are now mine, and I am never walking alone in this life.  I ask for all of these things in Jesus’ Name.  Amen.