Enough!

“And he directed the people to sit down on the grass…he gave thanks...gave to the people.  They all ate and were satisfied” Matthew 14:19-20.

I have read the feeding of the 5000 many times but until this morning missed an important point.  Jesus would not feed them until they calmed themselves and sat down.  No doubt these thousands of people were huddled in hundreds and hundreds of little groups, some being there for healing while others were there for teaching.  The instruction from Jesus was the same regardless of their motivation for being there…sit down on the grass…give thanks…get prepared to be fed.  With so many people I wonder how Jesus got the attention of everyone.  Did He have to raise His voice?  Did He climb up on a structure where He could be more visible?  We know that He used the disciples to gather the groups but what a commanding presence He must have possessed for all to obey.

When considering our necessity of spending time with Christ we are no different than those busy bodied followers from early on.  We cram our calendars with things of ‘insignificant significance’…those things that really aren’t important in the spiritual realm but get our attention above everything else.  When we envision a grassy meadow I doubt chaos and confusion comes to mind.  So why in the world would we have to be instructed to sit down, calm down, and bow down before our God?  Another verse that infers that we have to be made to have down time with God is one we recite all of the time.  Until this morning I never realized the same wording.  ‘The LORD is my shepherd I shall not be in want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures…he restores my soul.’ Psalm 23:1-3.

Being still before God apparently is one of the most difficult things to do.  In Scripture, on two occasions it was more of an instruction than a suggestion.  I always thought that ‘Be still, and know that I am God’ was about peace, prayer and affirmation.  But the Hebrew translation for ‘being still and knowing’ is Enough!… Acknowledge! God knows that the most powerful way we can be spiritually fed is by creating situations that make us drop to our knees.  If we fail to put God at the top of our priorities we might be setting ourselves up for being made to sit down.  Our Father delights in our fellowship, and pursues us through His passion for us.  It must grieve Him when we must be made to sit before Him and give thanks.

May He be enough for us today, tomorrow and every day after that until we see Him face to face.  May our love and passion for His presence be the motivation for dropping into the cool grass and being fed.