By Steve Horn
ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBC) – Over the last year we’ve been asked to cut back on most everything – time with family, trips to restaurants, retail establishments and public gatherings. During the recent winter storm we’ve been asked to cut back on our power usage, water usage and more due to the demand on the system.
While our infrastructures may be limited in their ability to meet currents demands, I’m reminded that God’s resources are not.
Take the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 in John 6. From nothing, Jesus fed the multitudes! He does that which otherwise seems impossible. Like the other miracles, this miracle confirms who Jesus is, confirms what others say about Him, and what He said about Himself. This miracle appears in all four Gospels so I believe God is trying to communicate something of importance if we’ll take a moment to reflect on this truth.
If other miracles communicate “nothing is too big for God” (and this miracle stands in agreement with that) this miracle reveals “nothing is too small for God.” We need to be reminded of that sometimes – maybe even today. Roofs are leaking, pipes are bursting, no electricity, no water—all small problems on the global scale, but still very real, especially when it’s happening to you.
In this miracle Jesus reveals several things:
He cares.
You know what I like about this miracle? It’s just a kid’s lunch. It’s not the royal official’s son who is about to die. It’s not the man by the pool for 38 years. The crowd gathered with Jesus and His disciples have only been there a day. They are not going to starve to death if they do not have something to eat. Uncomfortable? Yes. Sick? Possibly. At the point of death? No! But this miracle shows you don’t have to be dying or permanently disfigured for God to care.
Does it make a difference for you to know that if it is important to you, it is important to Him?
Some of you might be thinking, “Well, his need is greater—her need is greater.” Don’t fall into the comparison trap. Your need is great because it is yours. And because it is your need, your Heavenly Father cares.
He is conforming.
I believe John 6:6 is the most important verse in this miracle. Jesus asked the disciples about feeding the multitudes in order to “test them.” Interesting isn’t it? Are the disciples needed for the miracle? No. Yet we see in all of His miracles. Jesus, the Master, Messiah, Miracle-worker, uses weak people to produce the miracle. Could He be doing the same in you? He is conforming you to His will. What if what you are struggling with today is a test?
Does it make a difference that your trial may be a test?
It should – because if it is a test, God is the One in control of the test. Know this – God tests you not to defeat you, but to develop you.
He is conforming you to His way, His Word, and His Will. How can that make a difference in what you are facing today?
He is confirming who He is.
Realize in the midst of your need, God knows what He is going to do.
God has a plan. There is no panic in Heaven. There are no emergencies in Heaven. Just because Jesus sent the disciples to look, certainly did not mean He had no idea of what He was going to do. So, why did He send them? First, they had more than they thought. Second, what they had was still woefully short. So when they collected twelve baskets of leftovers, everyone knew Jesus performed this miracle.
As many have said, “You do not know that Jesus is all you need until He is all you’ve got.”
As we come out of another trying circumstance and head towards the next (sorry to be the bearer of bad news) remember nothing is too big, or too small, for your heavenly Father. He has a plan that will meet your need and in the process, show people who He is and make you more like Him.
Steve Horn is executive director for Louisiana Baptists. This editorial first appeared on the Louisiana Baptists’ website.
