Day 4: Healing And Health

 God Satisfied Them All

Matthew 14:17,20

'And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes...

And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full."

How can you help many people at the same time when all you have can hardly meet your needs? Jesus fed five thousand with just two loaves of bread and two fishes. How did it happen? Can the same be duplicated in our time? 

The feeding of the thousands was borne out of compassion. It was a godly move showing love for the people Jesus cared for.

St. Matthew 14:14 "And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick."

Much is achieved for a people if there is genuine care. If all a leader is concerned about is personal gain, it will be better someone else with genuine care takes the place of leadership so that the people can benefit. We have a lot to learn from Jesus. 

Jesus had capacity to meet the needs of the total man. He healed all that were sick out of compassion. When the people had been with Jesus in a remote place for a long, it was obvious they needed to eat. The only thing that appears to be done was to send the people away to find for themselves what to eat. Jesus saw the solution differently. 

St. Matthew 14:16 "But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat."

Jesus saw the solution differently. What do you see differently from what others are seeing? 

"...give ye them to eat."

Was it Jesus' responsibility to feed the crowd? At that point in time, he took responsibility. A good leader knows when to take responsibility. He told his disciples to feed them when he knew exactly what they had. What did they have?

"And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes..."

Five loaves of bread will only feed five people or at most 10 people (one loaf for 2 people). What was in the mind of Jesus to think that five thousand people can be fed with so little? He knew what God can do based on his relationship with God. Nothing is impossible with God so long as He is in the equation. Is God in the equation concerning all things in your life? Can you see the solution to problems through God's possibility? Jesus did it by faith in God so also can you can by faith in the same God.

St. Matthew 14:19 "And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to  the multitude."

Look at what Jesus did before he fed the five thousand with so little.

"...he commanded the multitude to sit down..."

By sitting down, its more like saying, "We are up to something. Calm down. You will see what God will do." The people obeyed Jesus.

"...took the five loaves, and the two fishes..."

The people were about to see what becomes of the bread and fish. After all, the little can still be useful. What do you have with you? It may be small but useful in the hands of God.

"...looking up to heaven,..."

Where will the miracle come from? From God! Where is God generally known to come from? From heaven. Looking up to heaven is more like "God, it is time for You to step in and do what no man can do." Will you help yourself by trusting God to help you? Will you pray to God for help and ask Him to step in to do what only He can do? Jesus asked them to sit down and then he looked up to God.

"...he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude..."

Look at the order of events. He looked up to heaven and then blessed the little then gave the disciples. He considered it done. That is faith in action. What really happened? Jesus saw it done and confidenly took action. Your faith will bear fruit. When it was given to the multitude, they ate. Verse 20:

"And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full."

Five thousand people ate to their full. This must have been God. Looking up to heaven can bring a multiplication of the little available. They eating to satisfaction can be nothing but a miracle. God will give you a miracle! But there is more.

"...they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full."

What was leftover was more than what they started with. Twelve baskets is much. One basket is more than what they started with. God is good. God will give you a miracle. More than enough for you.

Pray:

My God, I look up to you for help and provision. I have little compared to what You will provide. Give me a miracle with the little I have today. This I pray in Jesus name. Amen!