The Great Provider

He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine.
1st Samuel 17:40 NLT

You know the story. The whole of Israel's army would not volunteer to fight Goliath - including King Saul - who (according to 1st Samuel 9) stood head and shoulders above any man in Israel. But David, a teenaged shepherd boy armed only with his shepherd staff and a sling and 5 smooth stones, faced Goliath a giant of Gath. Why 5?

There's a lot of conjecture about why a certain number of stones and none of them proven or specifically spelled out. The two that make the most sense to me are 5 being the number to represent grace and that there were 4 other giants related to Goliath for a total of 5 giants. 

Let's face it - to defeat Goliath would require the unparalleled grace of God for any one fully grown soldier, let alone a teenaged boy untried in military battle. However, truly David walked in faith and favor and God's grace. That we DO know. We also know that later when David was king, he and his warriors killed the remaining 4 giants. He didn't do it again with a sling and a stone but to me, it seems as though God was already making the promise of provision for victory from the beginning.

God's provision is clear through every situation. He calls us to it, then gives us what we need in order to accomplish what He has called us to do, and then He sends us to do it. What excuse can we possibly use when He has made every provision for victory from the beginning?

Prayer:

Father, 

           Forgive us for thinking we have ever accomplished anything good in our own power and might. Everything - EVERYTHING is by Your Spirit working in us. Thank You for the plans and provision You have made for our lives. We want to fulfill Your plan and purpose for us. Help us, Father. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Hard Times +

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
Matthew 6:34 The Message

Times are tough right now. There is a pervasive undercurrent of fear - not rippling -  it's ripping around the globe. The uncertainty is a breeding ground for fear. There is only one antidote for fear.

Faith. Faith in God. 

The Bible teaches us that He is our Source for everything (Ephesians 4:14-16 The Message). It also teaches us that He is the same - yesterday, today and forever. He does not change. God being God does not change with a pandemic, with the weather, or with the price of oil. If your trust is in God and His Word, it doesn't matter what the circumstances look like. He does not change and He will see you through "whatever hard things come up when the time comes."

Prayer:

Father,
         Help us to keep our eyes off our circumstances. In our search for You and Your ways, help us to rise above what may or may not happen tomorrow and see only Your Truth - that You care for us today and every day. And You are our Provider! In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

We're Not Done +

    Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat.” 

    But Jesus said, “You feed them.” 

   “With what?” they asked. “We’d have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!” 

   “How much bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and find out.”

They came back and reported, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish.”  Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of fifty or a hundred. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. 
   Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share. They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish. A total of 5,000 men and their families were fed from those loaves!
Mark 6:35-41 NLT

Has God ever done the impossible in your life? Has He done the proverbial Made a Way Where There was No Way? Has He ever used you to do or say something that you know - beyond the shadow of a doubt - that it was all God because it was beyond your ability or even your comprehension? It defies all logic. Well, He's not done yet.

Mark 6 is an amazing chapter. At the beginning of it, Jesus heads to His hometown, begins teaching in the synagogue in such a way that the people exclaim, Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles? And only moments later, they reject Him because they can't see or believe through eyes of faith... but He wasn't done. He took it to village after village, teaching, healing.

He launched His disciples, sending them out on purpose without provision, and yet their needs were met and they accomplished what He sent them to do. When they returned, they were stoked! But He wasn't done. 

Also in this chapter, we learn of John the Baptist's beheading - a tragic, horrible murder. It had already happened; Jesus knew about it, but it didn't stop Him because He wasn't done. Jesus wanted to take the boys and get away for a little while, but the crowds wouldn't stop, and because He had/has such great compassion, He stopped for them. 

Then we come to our Promise text for today. The disciples - those He hand-picked - presume to tell Christ how to best care for the people. They present their most logical, well-thought-out plan, but obviously, Jesus wasn't done yet.

You feed them, but the best they could come up with was logic.
We’d have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!

Jesus doesn't fly by the seat of His pants. He doesn't get by by the skin of His teeth. He's not a fly-by-night operation. When will we realize that God has the plan? He's had it from the beginning. Even when there doesn't seem to be any way at all - the odds are too much against us. We can't feed them! There's over 5,000 men here, plus their families... Sure, I'll see if anyone brought anything... Here, 5 loaves and a couple of fish. What are You gonna do with that? There's no way to feed all these people - that's not enough for just us, let alone all of them. I don't know what You're thinking...  What? You don't believe they were thinking along those lines?

He took it, blessed it and broke it. And with that little bit of broken pieces, He fed the multitudes until everyone had as much as they wanted. It was the first All-You-Can-Eat buffet... But He wasn't done. Scripture tells us, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish.

Recap: He told them to feed the people. They replied logically, We can't. He showed them how it's done. And when He was done, they picked up 12 baskets of leftover bread and fish. Hmmm... how many disciples were there? 
You get the picture...

I was gonna end there, but I hear the ones making the statement about Judas Iscariot... He didn't hang around too much longer after this, so, I guess that leaves one basket. Any takers? We're not done...

Prayer:

Father,
        Thank You for the ability to think and reason. Forgive us when we use it to try to explain away Your sovereignty and majesty. Help us to realize and KNOW that whatever You've called us to do, wherever You've called us to be, You've made the provision. Let the measure of faith You have given us always override what we can see so that we can DO what You've told us to do.  In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Then

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. [emphasis mine]

Philippians 4:6-7 NLT

The world will tell you - it's not what you know, it's who you know that gets you through. Well, for once, I might have to agree at least in part with the world's take on that. For if we know the Great I AM, Jehovah Jireh, God our Provider, Maker of Heaven and Earth, Creator of Life, the One in whom we live and move and have our very being, AND then we tell Him what we need AND then CHOOSE to trust Him (trusting Him means we believe His Word over our circumstances) AND then THANK Him for all He has already done, THEN we will experience God's peace which exceeds anything we can understand.

In a time fraught with political upheaval and unrest and uncertainty, we are given a guarantee of peace. Our Promise for Today in Philippians echoes Isaiah 26:3, You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.

Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done, THEN you will experience God’s peace...

Prayer:

Father,

        We will tell You everything. We will let You know all that we need, trusting You to take care of us as we choose to submit our lives and our will to You. Lord, we KNOW it is You who has brought us through and it is You who will lead us safely home. And we give You praise and offer our requests with thanksgiving for all You've done for us, knowing that then we will experience Your peace. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Do You Remember?

But then I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago. They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works.

Psalm 77:11-12 NLT

Do you know God? How do you KNOW Him? Do you remember when you first met Jesus...or when you came back to Him? Do you remember where you were - who was with you? What's your story? When I pause to remember, it opens a floodgate of times - too numerous to count  - when God brought me through. 

In a meeting I attended a few years back, we were asked to choose from one of the four following sentences and share a part of our history with God.

1. Describe a time when God rescued you from something or someone (even if it was you!)

2. Describe a time when God was your Provider.

3. Describe a time when you experienced God's love in a way that changed your life forever.

4. Describe how God healed you in some way (physically, emotionally or spiritually).

Do you remember? Does anyone else know? Psalm 107:8, Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Prayer:

Father,

         Please shine Your light of Truth on our lives. Help those who don't yet easily see Your hand in all things to clearly see - and recognize You - as they remember. And give them the boldness to share it. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen