Week #4 – Resources for the Vision
We’ve heard…
– Where there is vision there is provision
– Where God guides, He provides
Colossians 1:16-17
“For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
Matthew 14:13 – Jesus goes away to be by Himself, but the crowd follows him.
– The people were in need & heard that Jesus could help in some way.
– By the time Jesus got to His destination, the crowd was there to meet Him as He stepped out of the boat!
– Even in a time when He wanted to be alone, due to the death of John the Baptist, when He saw the people, He had compassion on them & healed their sick!
Can you imagine… looking out and seeing a crowd of 5,000 men plus their wives & their children? A crowd of approx. 15,000 people with such need …need of healing, need of a savior, need of direction.
That evening… The disciples said:
– It’s getting late
– This is a desolate (desert) place – the word means… lonesome, waste, or wilderness
– Send everyone away so they can buy their own food & feed themselves
* Sometimes we hear… this area is a desolate place, I’m in a place of loneliness, there seems to be no nourishment in the place I find myself in, this is a wasteland. The disciples didn’t realize, that even though it was a desolate place, when Jesus is present, you have all the power you need – right with you! Even in our desolate places, Jesus is there with us, to give us the power we need!
Vs 16 – Jesus said… that’s not necessary – YOU FEED THEM!
Vs 17 – Their response to Jesus was…. IMPOSSIBLE… because this is all we have to work with!
Sometimes we feel like all we have to give is not enough – but in the hands of Jesus… everything is possible!
He told them to sit down. Jesus was not only about to feed nearly 15,000 people with a small amount of bread & fish, but He was also about to teach the disciples a lesson about how to depend on Him.
Jesus…
– took what they had (loaves & fish)
– Looked to heaven
– Asked for God’s blessing
– Handed it back to the disciples to feed the people
We need to take what we have… marriage, relationships, talents, abilities, money & resources, etc., and give it back to God – ask Him to bless it – then use it for His purpose!
With their natural eyes, all they had was never going to be enough to feed all of those people, but in the hands of Jesus, there was multiplication & the impossible became possible!
In our lives – our own efforts, ability, talent, personality, resources, can never be enough… but when placed in the hands of Jesus, He multiplies what we have & the impossilbe becomes possible through Him!
Matthew 19:26 – With God all things are possible
Gen 18:13 – God asks Abraham… is there anything to hard for the Lord?
As we move forward in the purposes of God, we need to give what we have, and He will make up the difference! He will multiply it, and cause the little to become MORE than enough!
God is our Jehovah Jira – The God Who Provides!