We just studied John 6 in Bible study last week, a terrific chapter in which Jesus feeds thousands of people with a little lad's lunch of five barley loaves and two fish. And He walks on water to His exhausted disciples who have been rowing on night in a gale. And He tells the crowds, and us, that "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst." (John 6:35) He is always enough, always fully satisfies, always meets those deepest longings of our hearts. Now that's cause for thanksgiving right there!
But one of the things that really struck me was right as Jesus was preparing to feed the multitudes with those few little rolls and fish. Jesus tells the people to sit down, and then we're told: "Jesus then took the loaves, and when He had given thanks, He distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted." (v.11) And we all know the story: everyone ate "their fill," and there were still 12 baskets full of leftovers.
Thanking the Father in prayer initiated the miraculous multiplication.
Later, when the crowds were discussing this miraculous feeding, they actually referred to the location of the miracle as "the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks." (v.23)
Even the often clueless crowd noticed that praise somehow unleashed the power of God to meet their impossible need with His infinite abundance. He took their hunger and their lack and their teensy bit of food and magnified and multiplied it to fully satisfy them.
Thanksgiving has a way of doing that, doesn't it? We come to God with our exhaustion, our discouragement, our lacks and teensy bits of strength or faith or hope or love, and hand them to Him. And when we simply place them all in His hands, with thanksgiving and trust, He somehow, someway always proliferates that which was completely inadequate into that which meets our needs. I don't how. I just know I have seen it happen over and over and over again in my life.
I saw it in our daughter's hospital room in the ICU, as she lay unconscious and unresponsive day after day after day. When the walls would begin to close in and despair threatened, we would hand our tiny bit of hope, our tiny bit of strength, our tiny bit of peace to the Lord Jesus, and thank Him for even the tiniest blessings we could muster... and He would start to multiply. Right there in the room. Still in that hard place, but the Light would begin to pierce the darkness. Begin to overcome it, as faith and joy and peace and strength would return and begin flooding our hearts. Again and again and again.
But I've also seen it over and over in everyday life. "Lord, I'm done. Out of energy. Out of patience. Out of love. Out of ideas." But in handing it all to Him and thanking Him that He is there, that He is enabling, that He is working, that He is worthy... well, what can I say? He just begins multiplying my almost nothings with His everything and fills and fortifies me anew.
He is the God of miraculous multiplication. And one of the ways His power is unleashed is through praise. Thanksgiving opens our hearts to His presence. And our awareness of His presence, and dependence upon His Person, changes everything. Changes us. And multiples our little bits of nothing into His magnificent much. Our little bits of hope, of strength, of perspective, of love into the ocean of His infinite abundance for all that we need for that day's challenges.
That's grace. And He's promised, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor.12:9) Enough grace for every need. Enough grace for every weakness. Enough grace to cover all our lacks and little bits. That's why Paul said, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me... for when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Cor.12:9-10)
So today, might we hand the Lord our lacks, our little bits, our frailties, and thank Him that He has the power to multiply and magnify and fully meet our needs. And thank Him that it is those very areas of struggle and weakness and failure that He uses to display His almighty power and grace in our lives.
Post tenebras lux... "out of darkness... light."
To the gracious God of multiplication be all the glory.
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