They said to him, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.”(Matthew 14:17) How many time have we told the Lord that we do not have enough to feed the rest? If only we believe that we just need to take the first step to surrender to Jesus and he will provide the rest.
The little boy with food that are only enough for himself offered up what he had (John 6:9), probably with fear that he might not be given back enough to last through the night.
When we offer our five loaves and two fish to Jesus, do we cast doubt on what our Lord can do with it? Do not fear, for when we take the first step to offer up our time, our strength, our weakness, our fear, we know that what we can accomplish is limitless through the grace of God.
Are you worried that during this pandemic, you would become the “needy” and God will abandon you to fend on your own? Are you worried that you would not have enough to share if the pandemic continues for another few more months? He had given us the promise that God is perfectly able to enrich you with every grace, so that you always have enough for every conceivable need, and your resources overflow in all kinds of good work (2 Corinthians 9:8).
The multiplication of the loaves and fishes is the only miracle of Jesus recorded in all four gospels. There were also testimony from the old testament that shows the mercy and love from God that allows Elijah to multiple flour and oil to save a widow and her son from starvation (1 Kings 17:14-16), as well as Elisha multiplying twenty barley loaves so as to feed the hundred (2 Kings 4:42-44). All things are possible with God (Mark 10:27)
Although Jesus was saddened with the news of John the Baptist’s death (Matthew 14: 1-12) and wanted to retreat to lonely place where they could be by themselves, yet his heart took pity when he saw the crowd and he started to minister to them and to heal their sick. Do we fear that God will abandon us in this crisis even though we have shamefully and previously had done the same to abandon him during our good times. No, he will not abandon us. Nothing will separate us from God and in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us (Romans 8:37)
Why spend your money for what is not bread; your wages for what does not satisfy? (Isaiah 55:2) We could be satisfied for a day with the foods that we consume and the wines that we enjoyed. We will find more joy and satisfaction when we are able to use our wages to help our neighbours that are struggling with life, our talents to help the underprivileged that are looking for meaning in life. Those are the foods that provide lasting joy and satisfaction.
We leave you with our favourite song from Corrinne May – Five Loaves and Two Fishes. “Take my five loaves and two fishes, do with it as you will. I surrender. Take my fears and my inhibitions, all my burdens, my ambitions. You can use it all to feed them all”.
David & Anna