Many of us are familiar with
the story in the New Testament about Jesus feeding the 5,000. As the
story goes, Jesus was on a hillside with a large crowd of 5,000 men plus wives
and children following him. As Jesus sat down, his disciples became
concerned because there was no food available to feed all the people. Jesus
asked his disciples where they could buy bread to feed everyone, but the
disciple Phillip complained that it would cost a small fortune to feed all
those people. The disciple Andrew found a boy who had 5 loaves of barley
bread and two fishes with him. “But what good is that with this huge
crowd?” asked Andrew. (John 6:9).

Jesus asked everyone to sit down. Then he took the loaves, gave thanks to
God and passed the bread out to the people. He did the same with the
fish. The gospel of John records what happened next.

And they all ate until they
were full. ‘Now gather the leftovers,’ Jesus told his disciples, ‘so that
nothing is wasted’. There were only 5 barley loaves to start with, but
twelve baskets were filled with the pieces the people did not eat!” (John
6:11-13 NLT)

What can we learn from this
story of God’s provision? There are a few key points that stand out to
me.

First, it’s important to seek God’s view of your circumstances. From the
view of the disciples, it was an impossible situation. They did not have
the money or resources to feed such a large crowd. But from God’s view,
there was enough to not only feed the crowd, but have leftovers as well.
When we are in trying or difficult circumstances, we can seek God’s view
of our situation. We can submit to His power and understand that He is
able to accomplish more than we ever could on our own.

“What is impossible
with men is possible with God.” (Luke 18:27 NIV)

Second, God can use what we
already have for His purposes. So often, when we face challenges or feel
inadequate, we look to change our circumstances or our resources before we face
up to the problem. “If I only had X, then I could do this” is
how many think. God has already provided all you need in Him.
Submit your problem, your weakness and your available resources to
Him, and let Him do the rest.

“I can do all things through
Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 NKJV)

Third, carefully note that
Jesus gave thanks to God to receive this miracle. In the midst of our
impossible situations, it can be tempting to complain or feel discouraged.
Instead, the Bible calls us to give thanks to God! Give thanks for
what we already have, as meager as it may seem, and give thanks for what
God is about to do with it.

“give thanks in all
circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1
Thessalonians 5:18)

You can see greater things than
you expect when you place your faith in God.

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About David Edmisten

David Edmisten is the President of justopenthebook.com, an
online ministry encouraging others to develop a closer relationship with God by
opening and studying His word. After
years of living in the world’s ways, this self- described “heavy metal guy” found
and accepted Jesus Christ as His savior in 2005. With God’s help, he has overcome addictions
and learned to live by faith to serve God.

After more than ten years in the financial services
industry, most recently as a Financial Advisor, David felt called by God to
leave the corporate world and start on online Christian ministry. A native Californian, David and his family
moved sight unseen to Cumming, GA
(north of Atlanta)
in 2008. David lives with his wife
Kristy and their 4 young children, where they enjoy homeschooling, outdoor
activities, music, games and family fun.
David has earned the Accredited Asset Management Specialist designation
from the College for Financial Planning and is a graduate of the University of California,
Santa Barbara. He is a member of High Tech Ministries in Atlanta and has led small
groups in men’s and financial ministries.
He enjoys playing guitar, writing, speaking, and sharing God’s
word. He is also author of the Faith
Takers blog (http://justopenthebook.com/faithtakers),
which is the journal of his walk of faith since leaving the corporate world to
follow God.Learn more at:
http://www.justopenthebook.com

http://justopenthebook.com/faithtakers

http://www.justopenthebook.com/forum

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