By: Rex Stump
Wauseon, Ohio
I was reading in Mark 8:1-10 the account of when Jesus fed over 4,000 people. Jesus, his disciples and this massive crowd had been in the wilderness for three days.
They became hungry and in need. Although Jesus’ disciples had already witnessed Jesus feed a crowd of over 5,000, they acted like there was no solution.
Hadn’t Jesus already shown us the power to provide? A crowd of 4,000 would be just as easy, if not easier. Yet they never considered that Jesus could provide. He did! Jesus fed them all, with leftovers to take home!
God is a good God, an all-knowing God, a loving God, and yet as Christians, it’s common to forget that God sees our needs and seeks to provide for us.
For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. 2 Corinthians 9:10
God provides! Whether it be food, water, sunlight, safety, or strength, He provides! The Apostle Paul shared that God provides not just physically, but He also provides for us spiritually. Joy, peace, love, salvation! We are given what we need to live obediently for Jesus, as well as the ability to provide for others in need.
This may or may not be what Paul was speaking of, but I recently had something happen that reminded me of this passage.
Ten years ago, we bought a bed that has pumps and air chambers to adjust for better back support while sleeping. It’s not functioned correctly for over a year, and I remember we tried to solve this issue months ago and failed. Well, my wife wanted to make another attempt at fixing it, which included finding the paperwork and manual.
She looked for the paperwork in a cabinet in our storage room but couldn’t find it. That’s unusual, as she typically finds what she needs without my help. I gave it a shot and looked.
I came across files of warranties, manuals, health papers, and vacation maps. I even came across the paperwork for the surgeon who operated on my hand a few years ago. Funny, I was just thinking about him a few weeks ago, but I couldn’t remember his name! Now, I remember!
Within seconds, I found the manual for the bed! Thank you, Lord. And within minutes, I received a phone call out of the blue from someone who was having hand problems.
He remembered my hand issues and wondered if I could share the doctor’s name with him. Ha! Had he called an hour earlier, I wouldn’t have been able to provide that information.
It’s in these small moments of life that I am reminded that God provides in the simplest ways, which allows us to provide for others as well! He is so good!
Take a moment and consider how God has provided something small (or big) for you in the last three days. Food, health, air, friendship, safety, direction, encouragement, salvation? Give Him thanks, He is our provider.
“Stay strong, stay focused…stay faithful!”
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Rex Stump is the Area Director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and serves as a Pastor at True North Church in Wauseon, Ohio.