We saw yesterday Jesus teaching the crowd, and testing the disciples regarding the physical sustenance they needed. They had forgotten one lesson:

When you organize your life around the teaching of God’s Word, God will provide in grace what you need physically! If you have a problem with provision, maybe you are not depending on the Lord.

Now the disciples present Jesus with their great solution:

Luke 9:12

12 Now the day was ending, and the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the crowd away, that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging and get something to eat; for here we are in a desolate place."

Mark 6:37-38

37 But He answered them, "You give them something to eat!" And they said to Him, "Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something to eat?"

38 And He said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go look!" …

Sometimes when we look to see what’s available, it may seem like it’s not enough. (Been there!) It may not seem like enough from your perspective, but from God’s, IT IS EXACTLY THE AMOUNT YOU NEED.

Look what they found:

John 6:8-9

8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him,

9 "There is a lad (the Greek says this is a 10 or 11 year old boy) here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?" (Doesn’t seem like enough, does it!?)

Matthew 14:18

18 And He said, "Bring them here to Me."

The Lord simply asks them to place at His disposal what they thought was insufficient. The boy simply operated on faith, handing over all he had. He hands it over to Andrew, who takes it to Jesus.

Luke 9:14-17

14 (For there were about five thousand men.) And He said to His disciples, "Have them sit down to eat in groups of about fifty each."

Notice it says about 5,000 MEN. This means that there were also women and children! I’ve always heard this story as “Jesus Feeds the 5,000” but I think we’re selling Him short! No extra charge for that information.

15 They did so, and had them all sit down.

16 Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them, and broke them, and kept giving them to the disciples to set before the people.

17 And they all ate and were satisfied; and the broken pieces which they had left over were picked up, twelve baskets full.

Notice that the boy gave what he had to the Lord in complete faith. He didn’t know what the Lord would do with it, he just trusted Him with it. Even though it was not enough, it was all that the Lord required. Jesus then blessed what the boy gave, and used it to bless others, and everyone was satisfied! That’s what the Lord can do with whatever it is you give. It may be money, it may be your time, it may be your talent or your life. It may seem to you to not be enough, but the Lord will bless it and use it to do things far beyond your imagination.