Meeting Need
Jesus asked Philip where they should buy bread to feed the multitude (John 6:5). He did this to test Philip. In other words He wanted to find out what was in Philip’s heart. How we respond to need reveals what is in our heart. Philip said, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them” (NLT). In other words, he reasoned that meeting need had to do with what he was capable of doing.
How often do we look at what we can do, rather than what God wants to do? Sometimes it is just the subtle thought that we need to be more anointed, pray more or just lead a better lifestyle. In the process however we miss the point. It is not about our performance or our ability: it is about the goodness of God and His desire to meet the needs of others through us.
The Lord always goes way beyond what we can do and what we possess. In this way, He is the One who receives all the glory. Miracles are never released through our ability, nor are miracles found in the safe zone. They are found in the place of risk.
God often asks us to do what we don’t have the means to do. Like Philip, we can try and reason it out, think about the effort we need to put in, and in the process miss the heart of God. Alternatively, we can be like Andrew who brought the boy’s five loaves and two fish to Jesus. He came with what he had been given yet was quick to add it was not enough for the task at hand. How often do we dismiss what we have as inconsequential and insufficient? I wonder how many others took their packed lunch home that day, because they didn’t have the courage to give it to Jesus. They too probably thought it would not be enough or was of little use.
It is God’s heart to meet needs and to bless lives. Let’s not say it can’t be done based on what we cannot do or do not have. Let’s believe the Lord for the impossible and entrust him with the fives loaves and two fishes we possess in our own lives. As we bring it to Jesus, we will see needs met through the little we chose to give. We will see others blessed by a God who loves to meet need through us.
