Monday, October 18, 2010

Daily Light - October 18, 2010

Daily Light from the Lighthouse

"Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?"
Matthew 15:33

Faith is a funny thing. Most people say that if they could see something then they would believe. Of course we know that is not always true, and it is also by definition not faith. I am sure that there were some that saw Jesus do great miracles and called Him Lord as a result of those miracles. However, it was not long before they were shouting "Crucify Him" about the same Man. They saw, but they did not believe.
Jesus' disciples had this same problem. This particular passage is when Jesus fed four thousand people with seven loaves and a few fish. Yes, it was four thousand! This is after Jesus had miraculously fed five thousand with five loaves and two fish. Surely they knew that nothing was impossible for Jesus now. Right! No, instead when Jesus presented the situation to them, all they could see was the impossible. Why? I think the passage gives us a few clues.
First, they said "we" in their response to Jesus. Somehow they thought that the answer was dependent on them. What could they do? They had no resources with which to feed people or money to buy food. They were helpless in themselves. I think that is exactly the way God wants us to be. He desires that His children be completely dependent on His power and resources. Second, they were focused on where they were. They asked where they would get enough food in the wilderness to feed such a crowd. How much we need to realize that our circumstances will never determine the extent of God's power! We often feel that if we were in a better situation that things would be better spiritually. Remember that it was on a stormy sea that Jesus met His disciples and taught them one of the greatest lessons of faith. Third, the disciples could only see how much they had and how big the crowd was. What they forgot to realize was that they had the Creator of the world standing right next to them, and nothing is impossible for God. When we look at the overwhelming situations of our lives, we must realize that God is never overwhelmed. He knows exactly what to do when we cannot see an answer.
Once again, this was the second time that Jesus had performed a similar miracle. Why didn't the disciples have faith that He could do it again? Let's ask ourselves that question. How many times has God worked in our lives and done great things, but when a problem comes up we seem to forget all about the last time? Give God what you have by faith and watch Him do the miraculous! He is a mighty God that knows exactly how to accomplish His will in your life.
May you trust Him completely today!

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