Waiting on a Miracle

John 6:1-21

"...Jesus said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?" He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do." John 6:5-6

It's interesting to see, that even those who walked personally with Jesus, seldom knew what Jesus was going to do until it was done. We find here a beautiful picture of God at work among his people, meeting insurmountable obstacles.

Seeing a vast crowd, Jesus tests Philip by asking him how they would feed all of them. I'm not sure whether we would call Philip's response a pass or fail. It's likely something in between. A fail would have been, "Feed them? That's not our problem."

Just like Philip, we never know what God is going to do. There are however at least two principles at work here in this passage which highlight our role when we face problems bigger than ourselves.

We Need Others: Specifically - The Community of the Church

It is often fanciful to think that once we get right with God, we've got this special connection with the King of the Universe, so we've arrived at a destination where we are able to live out a new level of independence. We're right with God now. Why do we need input from other people?

Philip's response was a decent first thought, but it did not capture the whole of what Jesus was looking for. If you’re reading along, you may notice the piece Andrew brought to the discussion was an essential part of Christ's lesson for them and for us today. Jesus' end game for you and I, isn't for us to fly solo with Him, but also to be in community with the rest of his family. We are not the whole package, but so often, our insufficiencies are met through each other.

Do What You Can

God certainly can and does act without any input from us. Also, five barley loaves and two fish are not enough to feed five thousand men, plus women and children. What we offer reveals to us how serious we are about whatever lies before us. If we aren't willing to do what we are capable of doing, we really aren't committed. Are we? It isn't a magic trick that 'makes God move on our behalf', rather it would be odd to expect God to act on an issue we care so little about.

It truly is beautiful to see God move mightily beyond our ability. It takes nothing away from His power when we offer all we can in community with each other, but instead can blow us away when He reveals how He has so much more for us than what we were able to achieve.

We don't know what God is going to do with the problems we face. Don't let that discourage you from taking your place among His people, doing what you can, and trusting in His goodness.