Today’s passage is Mark 6:30-44. On reporting to Jesus, the returning disciples and Jesus were so overwhelmed by the crows that they couldn’t eat. Jesus got into a boat with them and headed for a deserted place to rest, but the crowds arrived ahead of them and Jesus taught them. When the disciples told Jesus to send the crowd away so the people could buy food to eat, Jesus told them to feed the 5000 people with the five loaves and two fishes the disciples had. They did and collected 12 baskets of leftovers.
Do you focus on your lack instead of God’s plenty?
What do you have to share that you don’t think is worth sharing?
I think I lack many things: Faith, money, health, friends, pens, sex, time.
Time is probably the biggest one.
I think I never have enough time for what I want to do and what I need to do.
When I have to go somewhere I always underestimate how long it really takes.
When I have to do something, I grossly underestimate how long it will take.
I used to make excuses and blame everything and everyone except myself.
Now I just say Sorry.
I had to write a big report for my school.
Exhausted and stressed by it, I got sick, which further delayed my action.
Then, after listening to Pastor Kim’s sermon on Joshua and the Gibeonites, I realized I’d been focusing on myself and not my school.
The report was for the school, for the teachers, the office staff and the owners.
It wasn’t for me and it wasn’t about me. I repented.
Then I prayed Joshua’s prayer.
I asked God to stop the sun from moving, to stop time so I could finish the report.
It wasn’t a simple, glib prayer. I prayed desperately. I sweated. I prayed for three hours. Please, God, stop time so I could rescue my Gibeonite report.
And he did, but not in the way I expected.
One day my wife wasn’t going to be home till very late due to a school farewell dinner, and suddenly I didn't have to be anywhere.
It was as if time stopped. I started to write the report.
Usually I am a poor typist, making lots of mistakes. Now my fingers flew flawlessly along the keyboard. I lost track of time.
Words flowed from my fingers.
By eight o’clock that night, I’d written the report. Time started again.
It may have been my fingers on the keyboard, but I had no doubt that God had done most of the composing.
The report was written so fast that I three days to re-read it, give it to others to read and then edit it.
It felt weird to have time to do that. It gave me time to talk to others and re-work the report further.
The unaccustomed, almost miraculous, time left over to talk to others and edit the report was like picking up 12 baskets of broken pieces of bread and fish.
God had provided abundantly.
Tomorrow I send the report with no doubt that God’s hand is on it. His victory, not mine.
Application: stop stressing and start praying more earnestly from Gilgal.
Lord, let me look at my situation with your eyes so that I can for whom I must really pray and work.
