Meager Basketfuls

“‘This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the village and buy themselves something to eat. We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish.’ ‘Bring them here to me…’ Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven… he gave thanks…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.” Matthew 14:15-20.

They were exhausted and they were scared as the news of the murder of John the Baptist trickled in. Who would be next? As the visibility of Jesus was growing so were the stakes. Everywhere the disciples turned there were crowds…people who needed the touch of Jesus for healing…no time for them to rest. Finally, as the sun was setting on this day they urged Jesus to send the people to their villages to be fed. Jesus commanded them to take their meager amount and commit it all to Him. Once in the hands of Jesus, He committed it to God through prayer. It was then that the tiny portion multiplied and provided more than the disciples could have ever dreamed. As a matter of fact, my commentary states, ‘His disciplines felt a crisis was brewing…How little they understood the heart of Christ or discerned His power! The Lord assured them that there was no need. Why should the people leave the One who opens His hand and supplies the desire of every living thing…there was more left over when Jesus finished than when He began. Ironically enough there was a basket for each unbelieving disciple.’ Believer’s Bible Commentary, p. 1261.

Are you in the middle of a crisis? Are you hungry…lonely…exhausted? Are your offerings to others meager at best because of your situation? I believe that every one of us can relate to times of crisis and the emotional and mental challenges we experience. Our baskets are full of limited resources, whether it is energy, money or hope in any given situation. We look at our group of 5,000…our unsurmountable circumstances and ask God to send them away. But God allows the crowd to remain so the question is what will we do with our meager offerings? Will we withhold our time and encouragement to others because we are too tired? Will we hoard the little bit we have in fear of running out? We must take our limited basketfuls and commit them to God in prayer. He will provide everything we need with leftovers. We ask for rest…He multiplies with peace. We ask for comfort… He multiplies with blessings. We ask for deliverance…He multiplies with wisdom and knowledge.

Don’t be afraid to share what you have with others because when you run out of your own resources and strength God will provide His.

“Now to him who by his power working in us is able to do far beyond anything we can ask or imagine” Ephesians 3:20.