So…should I go ahead and go to the grocery store?

So…check this out:

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

32 Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” 33 And the disciples said to him, “Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?” 34 And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” 35 And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground, 36 he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 37 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 38 Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 And after sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.

Last night I was reading this and wanted to share some thoughts and what God spoke to my heart. First of all, if you don't spend time studying the Bible, I'd challenge you to ask God to reveal himself and then spend time studying it. It is TRULY transformational! 

I love reading the Gospels. Perhaps, it's because I often see myself in the disciples. Now before you think I'm tooting my own horn, hear me out. The disciples often "missed things", which is ironic because they physically walked with Jesus. It's easy to think "Well if I could just see Him, I'd believe" or "If I just saw a miracle, I'd know he's real…" It's nice and all to think that, however; the disciples seemed to highlight our humanness in the presence of divinity. They highlight failings and shortcomings, and I see myself in that…I also see how Jesus responds to them, and remember that He chose them to surround himself with. 

And I love that. It's a humble reminder of who I am, and who HE is. 

Okay, so right off the bat, Jesus points out the physical need of the people to the disciples. They pretty much respond with "So…what should we do? Where will we get enough food out in the middle of nowhere for them?" If it were today, my first response would be "So should I head to the grocery store way back in civilization?? Or…" Yeah, I could totally be a disciple! 

You see, they were looking for a purely physical solution, what they could physically do to fix it, just as I am prone to do. They were thinking inside the box, spiritually speaking. They were asking "How can I do this" instead of "How can God do this". It's a matter of pride; thinking first, "How can I solve this on my own?", instead of "What is God capable of doing in this situation?" Now, I'm not saying we lazily sit back and say "Not my problem!" but that we find the balance of doing what we are capable of but realizing all the while, God may be waiting for us to approach Him with what we have so He can come through in the spiritual realm in a way we cannot on our own. 

Now that I am a Momma, I see and understand to a greater degree the joy of helping my son when he can't quite do something on his own. As a matter of fact, I often have to hold back when I want to quickly come solve the problem for him, because it's a learning time. (That's a whole other blog topic!) But when he whimpers because he is tired, looks up at me and puts his arms up in surrender, it's nothing short of a joy to go pick him up and help him get the rest he needs but can't quite accomplish all on his own. 

When we are faced with a physical problem and think only of what we can do ourselves to solve it, I believe God just might be standing there saying, "Can I help you with that? I know you are working hard but there are a few things I know; a few things I can do that are beyond you…" It's a demonstration of love. 

My husband loves; BEGS for me to give him hard-to-open jars, even though if I work on them long enough, I can USUALLY get them myself. He wants to do something for me that is easier for him to do than it is for me, in order demonstrate his love for me. God wants to come through for us in a way beyond what we can do for ourselves to demonstrate HIS love for us. 

I am SO guilty of thinking I need to run out and fix everything on my own and that I've got to come through for myself, or else! Many times I see a need (we need more money! Guess I better just try really hard to get a job because what other way could we possibly make it financially?…) And really, God is saying, "Would you just come to me and remember WHO I am and WHAT I'm capable of?!" 

Just recently we have been faced with financial difficulty to a degree we've not experienced before. I got ahead of myself trying to go fix it all and God slowed me down, and showed up doing and providing things I had never considered or thought of, because He works outside of my physical realm. 

The story goes on and God says (paraphrased) "Hey, guess what? You aren't going to the grocery store. Actually, I'm going to take what was already here in front of your eyes and divinely bless it so that it's actually more than what was needed in the first place. How about that?" Haha! I wonder how they responded? Did they think he was crazy when He asked how many loaves they had? I wonder if they thought, "Uh, hey, newsflash Jesus! 7 loaves will not really feed 4,000+…just FYI…" How many times do we say to Him, "Uh, God…I don't really think that you can come through in this situation…have you seen what I'm up against? It's not going to be enough..." And He says, "I'm enough."

God surprised us financially with things I had never even remotely considered. Example: I needed a few dressy tops for church and such. The ones I had were falling apart or no longer fit. But that was out of the question since we were operating on legitimate-needs-only basis. So what shows up, literally, in our backyard? $30 Kohls cash that was somehow preserved with code in tact, even though it was wet and icy. Never in a million years could I sit and come up with that as a solution to an income issue…but HE could! We were even able to stretch it to cover a rug I had been wanting for the bathroom… (having more than what we needed…sound familiar?) "And they took up 7 basketfuls of pieces leftover…"

Both in this Bible story and in my own life, God has brought glory to Himself and used these  stories and circumstances to encourage others and draw them to Himself. That's what it's all about. That is what I'm doing today…encouraging and praying people are drawn toward my Heavenly Father. 

I have so many more examples of God coming through for us financially in ways beyond what we could have done or imagined. It's real people…He's real. And He's for you. Ask Him what He can do in your present physical situation. Quit only seeing what you can do to remedy problems you face. Give God what you have…do what you can. But be aware...ask, wait, and watch what happens as He blesses what you offer.