Faith 2

Faith 2

Jesus soon saw a great crowd of people climbing the hill, looking for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, “Philip, where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.

John 6:5-6

Jesus was sitting on a hill with his disciples when he looked up and saw a large crowd coming. “Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?” he asked Philip. Jesus asked Philip this question to “test” him, because Jesus already knew there was no obvious human solution to this problem.

Philip responded with a bigger problem. He was trying to think logically, and he realized that it would take eight months’ wages just to give each person one bite of food!

A note from the Life Application Bible Commentary reads, “As he did with Philip, Jesus sometimes tests us by putting us in difficult situations with no easy answers. At these times we feel frustrated, as Philip did. However, frustration cannot be God’s intended result. The wise disciple always keeps the door open for God to work.”^a

Andrew spoke up and presented Jesus with two things—a lunch and another problem. A young boy had a lunch of five rolls and two fish; the problem was, the boy’s lunch wasn’t enough to feed everyone. But Jesus demonstrated that the little boy’s lunch, offered in faith, was more than enough. Before the boy witnessed a great work of God, he had to make a sacrifice and step out in faith.

What difficult situation are you facing? Perhaps you’ve looked at the problem from several angles, and—humanly speaking—things look hopeless. Are you willing to set aside your limited resources and step out in faith to seek God’s limitless resources?

God of all provisions,

Thank you that you had such patience with your disciples when they didn’t see past human solutions, and thank you that you show the same patience to us. May we remember that you have limitless resources, and may we be willing to trust you. Amen.