Saturday, May 9, 2015

Saturday, May 9, 2015  [by Keesha Sullivan]

John 6:  "More Than Enough"

After over 40 years of marriage, he could not stand to see his wife in pain anymore. From the time she woke up until the time she went to sleep, she would have fitful bouts of pain. He knelt down by her bedside and laid his hand on her belly as she slept. He looked at her lovingly and then turned his face upward and closed his eyes. “Lord, please take the pain away. Please, Lord,” he quietly whispered not to wake her as tears welled up in his eyes. He went downstairs to begin preparing food for her and not even an hour later, Jesus took this man’s beautiful bride to heaven. God had heard his prayer.  

Anyone that knew this couple knew how much they loved one another. When we heard of her passing, Kenny and I prayed about whether to attend the funeral. It was out of state and we would have to fly. God gave us the green light. Because the flight had to be quick, it was going to be expensive. We agreed that we couldn’t out-bless God, so we took a leap of faith. We got back to find our account full. We had a surplus that not only covered the flight, but that left us with more than we needed.

We assumed that we had miscalculated some bills somewhere, but w

e

really

knew

Who

was responsible for this overflow.

In the scripture we read for today, it said, “5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do” (John 6: 5-6). I believe that Jesus was calling for his disciples to take a leap of faith. He wanted them to look past the physical realm and into the spiritual. He wanted them to look past the lack of money and food and to see God’s abundance. He was teaching them to "think like sheep," for if the Lord is Our Shepherd we are never lacking in anything - we have all

that

we need (and then some), regardless of how the circumstances present themselves (Psalm 23:1).

“8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” (John 6:8). Jesus answers the question pretty promptly by praying to His Father and giving thanks. God took the lack of food, the five loaves and two fish, and fed the crowds. In addition to feeding them, they had twelve baskets left over.

Lord, help us to see past our physical circumstances. Help us to see your plentiful provision. Help us to look to you from where our resources and help come from. Fill us Lord and bless us with a renewed way of thinking. We need you, and we truly love you. In Jesus name we pray, Amen!