“One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said unto Him, ‘There is a lad here, who has five barley loaves and two small fishes; but, what are they among so many’?”
John 6:8-9
We should never underestimate the Power of God to use us and the little we have to offer Him.
“But, what are they among so many?”
A perfectly logical question, or so it’d seem, when you consider how large the crowd and how few the loaves and fishes. Yet, in the setting of today’s Manna, we see how true the adage “Little is much when God is in it.”
Again, the loaf of bread was small and the fish were few.
“What are they among a crowd of over 5,000?” (v.10).
“Why, it’d take at least 1,000 loaves and 10,000-12,000 fish to feed a crowd like that!” Philip’s analytical brain calculated within him.
“And that’s well over 200 days’ wages,” he added (v.7).
But, again, he wasn’t figuring in with Whom he was talking. And, he certainly wasn’t including Jesus’ Miraculous Power in the equation.
That’s okay; so often neither do we. But, our Lord is a patient Lord—and He always knows ahead of time what He’s going to do and uses our obstacles as His opportunities to demonstrate that He is still the “God of the Impossible” (Gen. 18:14; Lk. 1:37). Hallelujah!!
So, often we look at the “exteriors” rather than the Eternal. We focus on the “problem” rather than the Presence. We consider the “odds” instead of looking to God.
But, it’s in those situations that the Spirit whispers the lyrics from those old Gospel songs, “Little is much when God is in it. If just a cup of water He places within your hand, then just a cup of water is all that He demands.”
We’re never told the name of the little lad who brought his lunch to the Jesus Rally on the hillside that day. And, the fact that he was toting barley bread tells us he was poor, for that was the cheapest, most inferior, least-esteemed bread you could buy, fit only for slaves.
But, that didn’t matter to the King of kings with Wonder-working power in His Hands.
And, it still doesn’t today.
He still uses insignificant people (like you and me), who live in insignificant places with seemingly “insufficient” resources to touch and change others’ lives. The key is our availability, not our ability.
That’s why we should always be on Mission with God (I Cor. 3:9). His job is supplying (Phil. 4:19); our job is surrendering and serving. What a glorious Partnership (Mt. 28:18-20)! Glory!! May we surrender anew to the Holy Spirit’s control today, always being ready for Him to use us in ways that we can’t even imagine (I Cor. 2:9).
August 2, 2011
