May 22, 2023

FAITH FOR FUTURE MIRACLES

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

About this time another large crowd had gathered, and the people ran out of food again. Jesus called his disciples and told them, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will faint along the way. For some of them have come a long distance.” His disciples replied, “How are we supposed to find enough food to feed them out here in the wilderness?” Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?” “Seven loaves,” they replied. So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to his disciples, who distributed the bread to the crowd. A few small fish were found, too, so Jesus also blessed these and told the disciples to distribute them. They ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food. There were about 4,000 men in the crowd that day, and Jesus sent them home after they had eaten.

Mark 8:1-9 NLT

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TODAY’S THOUGHT

How quickly we forget! Not long before this Jesus had fed 5,000 men plus women and children with five loaves and two fish. That story is told in all four of the gospels. This story is told only by Matthew (chapter 15) and Mark. This miracle was a feeding mostly of Gentiles because of the geographical location. The other feeding miracle was mostly Jews. An interesting note in this miracle was the word used for baskets. In the feeding of the 5,000 they picked up twelve baskets of leftovers. Those baskets were little baskets you might carry your lunch in. In this miracle the baskets were a much larger type of basket, sometimes so large a man could fit in the basket. The indication is that there was a lot more left over this time. It is interesting to me that the disciples didn’t have to go and search to see how much bread they had. Perhaps they had learned from the previous miracle to be prepared and check out how the food supply was going. I am struck by the fact the disciples didn’t seem to have enough faith to remember the feeding of the 5,000. When Jesus mentioned the hungry crowd and feeding them why didn’t one of the disciples ask how Jesus wanted to handle feeding them. Before we get so hard on the disciples we should pause and think about how many times we have forgotten the miracles God has brought for us. How many times do we forget the life transformation Jesus has done in our lives? It is a good exercise to take a few moments and thank God for His blessings. If we don’t pause to give thanks for past miracles, we won’t have faith for future miracles.

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TODAY’S PRAYER

Father God, I thank You for working in and through my life today. Thanks for Your grace and mercy. Thanks for Your provision. Thanks for Your guidance and wisdom in my life. Thanks for using me to impact others.

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