Experiencing God's Presence #217

Experiencing God's Presence #217

They picked up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves.

John 6:13

On at least two occasions, Jesus fed hungry multitudes from a paltry stock. No one knows quite how it happened. Even the scriptural accounts simply report the before-and-after and skip over the how. Somehow between breaking a few loaves and blessing a few fish, the amounts grew. Men began handing out the supplies, and they never ran out. The phenomenon would drive an inventory manager crazy. The normal laws of physics and economics were suspended until everyone was fed.

In Jesus’ Presence, resources multiply. He is the Lord of abundance, not of the never-quite-enough. It’s true that His people sometimes go through lean seasons and that we learn to seek Him and depend on Him in those seasons. But insufficiency is never His end result for us. He is fully able to provide whatever we need whenever we need it.

Sometimes that provision comes at the last minute. From all appearances, the crowds following Jesus were going to have to leave hungry. Neither they nor the disciples knew ahead of time that an abundant supply was coming. Why? Because God strengthens faith by stretching it, and faith isn’t stretched when everything is given far in advance. Even so, God does not intend to leave His children lacking. His Presence brings not only fullness of joy but fullness of life. He gives extravagant promises about taking care of us.

What does this mean when you’re underemployed? How does it apply when you’re hit with a sudden financial crisis? It means you can confidently continue to seek the Provider side of God and expect that, in His Presence, things like time and resources will seem to multiply to fit your needs. God is never in short supply.

God of provision, let me see Your abundance. As I sit—and live and work—in Your Presence, multiply my time and resources. Maximize my efficiency. I’m trusting You to make a lot out of the little I have to offer.