Beyond Meeting The Needs

Have you ever been in a place where you needed something and every thing you tried seemed not to work? I think it is safe to say that we've all been there at one time or another... perhaps we're even there now. We can worry over a situation, stress out over examining options, and even get to a place where we have decided for ourselves what the right thing to do is and tell God the solutions that we've come up with. But look at what today's passage has to say about this.

When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.” But He said to them, “You give them something to eat.”And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people.” For there were about five thousand men. Then He said to His disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of fifty.” ¹⁵ And they did so, and made them all sit down.Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them. Luke 9:12-17 (NKJV)

It was getting late in the day and the disciples showed good intentions by wanting to see that needs were met however their problem was they were trying to solve the problem on their own and in their own understanding. They first approached Jesus with the idea just to release the people to fend for themselves but Jesus charged them to feed the multitude. Again using their own solutions they explained to Jesus that they had a limited supply and they told Jesus that they must go buy meat. As the story continues Jesus blesses what they already had and there were leftovers.

 I don't know what type of food you need... physical food, financial food, relational food, of even spiritual food, but what I do know is that if we would stop trying to tell God what to do we might just find ourselves with more than we need!  

I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread.               Psalms 37:25 (NKJV). 

For the sake of argument let's say that I need $200 for a bill, and I pray for that $200... if it's God's will I will receive the $200. All my life I have been told that God already knows what I need. Let's imagine now that rather than praying for the $200 I simply say, "God I am in need. Will you bless what I have so it will be sufficient?" I believe as small as the fish and bread may appear to man, if God blesses it, then the very thing that we had to begin with will be more than enough. That $200 that I needed might turn into $500. We tend to limit God by asking for a limited amount or by trying to solve the problem ourselves. You may be praying for just enough while God wants to give you what you need plus leftovers. I want to encourage you first, not to limit God and second & most importantly, rather than worrying over a situation, stressing out over it, examining options, and even getting to that place where we have decided what is right, allow God to bless what you have and go BEYOND MEETING THE NEEDS in your life.