Looking in the Wrong Direction

Mark 8:1-10 Read it...

I was just reading the story of the feeding of the four thousand. Apart from a few numbers and places, the account is very similar to the feeding of the five thousand. You could be forgiven for thinking somebody just put the same story in the Bible twice, except for the fact that a little later on, Jesus refers to both as separate events.

The thing that astounds me in this story is the disciples. They knew Jesus had fed five thousand men (plus women and children) with a few loaves of bread and fish. Now, they have a few extra loaves and a smaller croud. Yet they say "How can we feed these people?" Have they forgotten? Do they think Jesus has lost his touch? Surely they should have said "Lord it's time for you to do that thing you do again."

It's easy to judge the disciples and think "how thick can they be" until I examine my own life. So often I face a problem or a need and start to freak out. I know God has provided in the past, so why do I get so stressed? I think it's because I'm looking at the problem. The problem seems so huge. It's like a monster hovering over me. That monster could crush me with one stomp of its thick sinewy legs.

If I turn around, however, and look at God, I see that he is so unbelievably huge that the problem appears microscopic. I see all the times in the past where God has provided. I see that God loves me and wants the best for me.

Bill Hybels had an experience like this once, which he details in his book "Too Busy not to pray" [1]. He had to stop looking at his need and start looking at his God. This was the same God who had created the universe just by the authority of His words. The God who had come up with a rescue plan to save humanity from doom by sacrificing his own Son. When he did this, his fear melted away and he was filled with confidence. God gave him a miracle that day.

Faith is never easy. Stepping out on a limb nd trusting God is one of the hardest and un-natural acts that humans take; but when we see the evidence of God's faithfulness it becomes easier. The more often we trust, the bigger that body of evidence gets, and the more natural it is to expect a miracle.


[1] Hybels, Bill. Too Busy not to Pray. Slowing down to be with God. Inter-Varsity Press. 1998.

A Testimony of God's Faithfulness

This year has started with a lesson in faith and dependance on God.

It was a warn sunny day and my wife and I were enjoying some rare time alone. Just as we climed out of the car Linda's phone began to ring. It was the child-care centre. They had noticed some discharge coming out of our daughter Chloe's ear. It wasn't serious enough for them to send her home but it would probably have to be examined by a doctor. When we collected Chloe and her brother from child-care that night we realised how bad it had become.

Out of concern we rang a free children's medical hotline. After speaking with a nurse and then a doctor, we were informed that Chloe would need to see her GP tomorrow. This presented us with some challenges. This was an expense we had not budgeted for and were currently in a difficult financial situation. Usually in this type of situation we would simply withdraw some money from our special savings account, but tomorrow was new year's day and the banks would not be open, and the account required us to sign in person. To complicate matters further, my parents were out of town so if we were to borrow some money from them we would have to drive out to their caravan, which would put a strain on our already limited petrol reserves. There was no money in the house and the cheque we had recently deposited would not clear until the end of the week.

We lay down on the bed that night praying together. We knew that God loved our daughter, even more than we did. We knew he had promised in the bible to provide for our needs, and we knew that in the past he had proven himself to us many times. We chose to trust God to provide a solution and went to sleep.

The next morning we rang the doctor's surgery and made an appointment for the limited clinic that night, believing in faith that God would help us. There was some money in our normal account, but it was due to be taken out by a direct-debit scheduled for tonight. I briefly considered withdrawing this money and wearing the fee when the direct-debit found insufficient funds. It would work, but perhaps God had a better option.

I sat reading a book about the prayer life of Jesus. As I read and prayed, my thoughts wandered to Matthew 6:26 "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" At the same time, Linda was praying in another room. God said to her "Go look in the rent folder". She immediately remembered that we had some cash set aside, hidden in the rent folder, to pay for steam-cleaning of the carpets at some point in the future when we move out of our house.

We looked in the folder, not remembering how much was in there. It was only five dollars short. We found enough coins in our wallets, Chloe's money box and the glove box of the car to make up the five dollars. God had provided using money we forgot we had.

There are times that I feel I am extremenly undeserving of God's provision and blessing, but as the Bible says "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" Matthew 7:11.

God is definately our provider.


Scripture taken from New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society