A little boy meets the great God
Devotional, week 7
“When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.” (Matthew 14:13-21, NIV)
The story of the little boy with the two fishes and the five loaves of bread has for many years been central in Tent’s work. For a long time, a drawing of the little boy was at the front page of our GO Equipped course book. The message from this story is very powerful. Jesus can bless everything we give to Him and make it a blessing to many people.
The little boy, and most likely the parents behind him, had probably just brought the food they needed for the day. Looking at the multitudes of people following Jesus, it is surprising that they even thought of giving their small food-package to Jesus. God must however have stirred something in their hearts, and in obedience they contacted Jesus. It might be that the parents were too shy to bring forth so little, and therefore they sent their little boy. Because of their faithfulness, everyone present could witness one of the greatest miracles in history.
You are also called to bring what you have to Jesus so He can make it a blessing to many. You may think that Jesus is only interested in your spiritual life, but that is not true. God created us as human beings, with all that entails. Work is included as a part of God’s initial plan for us, and He calls us to give our professions to Him.
Maybe you think that you do not have much to contribute? The story of the little boy teaches us that it is not the size of what we bring that is important. It is all dependent on the One who is calling us. In Jesus’ hands five loaves of bread and two fishes were enough food for five thousand people. In the same way, our lives and our work can be a blessing to many when we hand everything over to Him. May God bless you as you live and work for him, and may he make you a blessing to many people!
Let us pray! Father, help me to lay everything I have in Your hands, and faithfully wait on You for Your miraculous work.
