In the face of the impossible he dared to speak, to offer all that they had, while knowing it wasn’t enough. 

Jesus saw the amount of people and I imagine He smiled to himself; the dilemma they were about to encounter already had a solution ready to be revealed.  The crowds had followed Him, desperate to see His healing power continue. As they gathered, Jesus turned to His disciples and asked…”Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?”

He drew their attention to a problem, revealed a need. How often has God turned your eyes or your heart to a specific crisis, heartbreaking issue, or overwhelming desperation. The addicted. The hungry. The hopeless. The innocent who have no voice. Or maybe its closer to home, yet just as impossible. The heart of a husband that is hardened? The rebellion of a child that seems too far gone? The habit that continues to lord its power over your life? The dream that seems unreachable? The hurt that won’t subside?

What impossible situation is sitting before you today?

Phillip stated the obvious…”even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!” With a bit of drama (worked for MONTHS..) he makes an observation…that even if we diligently worked towards this single goal with all that we had, we would still come up short. He spoke of their lack, he identified the gap, he highlighted their inability to even make a dent in this situation. Phillip was using his physical eyes to assess a spiritual problem. His perspective saw their apparent disadvantage, and didn’t take into account the miracle-working Jesus who asked the question.

I find that in my own life, all to often, I see myself and others through what I don’t possess. Why that won’t work. Why I can’t do it. It is easy to call out the faults in another person, or their apparent lack of skill, or to disqualify ourselves based on our shortcomings. But through this very well-known story God showed me the faith of Andrew.

“Then, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. ‘There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?'”

He spoke up. He dared to be made a fool. He risked being mocked, and with great God inspired boldness he stepped out… then quickly undermined it. His assurance rapidly dissolved into doubt, his attempt at optimism and hope was smashed with the physical reality crashing in.  What they had was pitiful, it paled in comparison to the need, to the task at hand.

It was so meager that it could have easily been passed over, Andrew could have seen what they had available and he could have decided it wasn’t even worth offering. He could have kept silent. It could have been overlooked and neglected as invaluable, but instead he raised his voice and his offering, he just didn’t stay there long enough.

When God calls us to believe big, our challenge is to never second guess Him. I can be quick to step out in faith and if I am not intentional to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus and His power, the feeling of inadequacy with shove me back into my comfort zone and I will rescind my “yes” and allow it to vaporize into a “nevermind”.

And yet, with that meager, seemingly insignificant contribution, both of food and of faith, (no matter how brief) he didn’t just speak of what they had, he displayed a deep, life changing belief in the multiplying, expanding, increasing, magnifying, broadening Jesus. And it was all that Jesus needed to act. Alone, the small basket, not even full of fish and bread was worthless in comparison to what they faced, but when offered, when laid at the feet of Jesus, their deficiency became their sufficiency. Their lack became their abundance. Their weakness became their strength. Their lack of sight became their vision.

Today, acknowledge what you DO have, lift it before Jesus and let Him magnify it. Watch for the miracle. Watch your influence expand, your love enlarge, your resources multiply, and your compassion deepen. More importantly…do this for someone else. Call out their strength, speak of what they do have, what they can do, and how they will be used, do not allow your perception of their lack to effect your belief in what your GOD can do in and through them. Who can you encourage today? Who needs you to see past their mistakes, their failures, their choices, or their personality…and deep down into their potential, their possibility??

Stop stating the obvious, or letting it limit God.

Rather, dare to speak boldly into the impossible, eagerly anticipating the multiplying-God to show up with more than just “possible”, but with twelve-baskets-of-leftover-food possible. 🙂

Beholding his Glory with you in the impossible.