When Not Enough Is Enough

“When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.” But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” He said, “Bring them here to Me.” Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.” – Matthew 14:14-20

Oh the greatness of our God! Nothing is impossible for Him, He IS our healing, He IS our provision, He IS the resurrection and the life, He IS everything we need. When Jesus is present anything is possible. He is not constrained to the natural things that constrain us. We are limited creatures, God has made us that way, and those limits are a gift. But let’s not think for a second that Jesus has to fit into our limits, our time table, our schedule, or our ways of doing things. What would we talk like and live like if we looked at the impossible as an opportunity for God to move? The disciples knew that they did not have enough to feed everyone, and their solution was to send them away. They were thinking practically. Not spiritually. They did not know that Jesus was about to blow their minds, and increase their faith!

“And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.”

Do your circumstances or the needs of others who depend on you outweigh your abilities and resources? Well, perhaps that is by design. Perhaps Jesus has lead you here, and it is an opportunity to depend on Him and not yourself. Jesus will never ask you to do something that you don’t need Him for! He doesn’t expect you and I to do great things. He expects us to come to Him and offer up what we have and watch as He does great things! God can do a lot with little. Perhaps your five loaves and two fish looks like writing that note of encouragement, taking that brother or sister out to coffee, simply showing up to church to serve with a willing and joyful heart, or smiling at that person who hasn’t seen a smile in a while. The people of God feed off of what the Lord does with those little loaves and fish! God doesn’t need you, but He chose you. If others are going to taste and see that the Lord is good, they are going to taste and see His goodness through you.

Let’s pray…

Awesome God, nothing is impossible for You. I offer up my meager resources, and by faith believe that You out of Your limitless resource will do far more with my less. Use me to encourage and strengthen others in their faith, and together may we learn to trust You for every need. In Jesus name, amen.