09
Jul '19
How Quickly We Forget
09
Jul '19
And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread. (Mark 8:16-17)
Picture this – a group of friends had just left a large gathering of people, 5000 to be exact, setting sail on the Sea of Galilee when they realized they had no bread. This was no small matter, as the journey could be lengthy and potentially difficult. But the story doesn’t stop there.
At the large gathering they had just left, Jesus had been teaching and preaching to the crowd when those 5000 people became hungry. So, Jesus took 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish that were available and multiplied it such that everyone on the hillside was fed. There were even 12 baskets full of left overs! It was an incredible miracle, above duplication of the feeding of the 5000 men and their families.
And now this group of men in their haste to leave, had forgotten to bring any provision for the journey. The irony of this scene is that Jesus, who had just miraculously fed a crowd of 5000 only minutes before, is sitting in that very boat listening to these concerns. He had to be shaking His head in disbelief. In fact, Jesus responds to these close friends, His disciples, “Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened?”
You and I can be so similar to those disciples in that boat. How often have we experienced some miraculous circumstance (whether we credit Jesus or not), only to turn right around and whine about some other area of our lives. We so quickly forget the blessings we’ve experienced and allow doubt and fear to dominate our current situation, rather than resting in the fact that Jesus is right there in the boat of life with us. Jesus has already proven Himself trustworthy, to be found when we truly seek Him, and to never leave us or forsake us. Jesus is the Bread of Life…completely satisfying, and sufficient. If we could only rest and trust in that fact!
If you’re struggling to trust Jesus, I want to encourage you that Jesus is who He says He is! But He doesn’t force us to trust Him. He allows that decision to be a deliberate act of our own free will.
Will you take your eyes off the problems in your life and look to Jesus? See Him. Get to know Him. Soften your heart to His presence, because He’s right there with you in the boat.
This devotion blessed me. I pray it is a reminder to you today of how quickly we tend to forget what God has done for us. In those moments when you start to murmur and complain, choose to count your blessings, name them one by one, count your many blessings, see what God has done. Amen.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Ephesians 3:20-21