Thanks, I Needed That!

I’m guessing I’m a lot like you. I’m tired of the whole COVID-19 pandemic. I’m ready for it all to be over. I won’t go into my reasons, because I’m guessing you already have your own list. Recently I found myself wallowing in my frustrations, so I decided to read some scripture – John 6. As I read it several things came to mind that encouraged me. I hope they will encourage you too.

photo by Sarah Snyder

1. Jesus sees my needs. John 6 begins with a story about Jesus and His disciples. They were sitting down on a hill and a large crowd came towards them – thousands of people. Jesus turned to one of His followers, Philip, and asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” The question caught Philip off guard, but it is such a great reflection of the heart of God. The people were coming to Jesus because they wanted something from Him. Jesus was paying attention. He knew what they needed. He knows your need today, too. He cares.

2. With God the answer isn’t always obvious. As the story continues the disciples start to panic about feeding the people. One of them, Andrew, finds a boy with a small lunch and tells Jesus about it. I don’t know if he was being sarcastic or believed that a bad idea was better than no idea, but when he said something Jesus reponded, “Tell everyone to sit down.” I can just imagine what Andrew and Philip were saying behind Jesus’ back about all of this. Jesus used that small lunch to feed everyone and ended up with more leftovers than He had at the beginning. When trouble comes, it’s easy for me to think, “What am I going to do?!” That’s because, I don’t have the same perspective that God does. He has the answer.

3. God’s power is greater than I believe. I always underestimate God’s power. After all of this, Philip, Andrew, and the guys got in a boat and headed out without Jesus. They had just been blown away by something that was very good but didn’t make sense. As they sailed a storm came up and the disciples were in trouble. Jesus came to the boat walking on the water. Wait, WHAT!? They were scared silly. But once Jesus got in the boat, they were safe and immediately at their destination. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been instantly transported from danger to safety. I don’t know what I’d think, but I do know I’d be terrified unless the one who did it was my friend. As I read, I realized that God is for me, and He has all the power I need. God’s power is available to you, too.

photo by Sarah Snyder

4. I only know what I THINK I need. The next part of the story in John 6 is a lesson in humility.

People were gathering around Jesus again looking for food. They tried to persuade Him with stories that Jesus had heard since He was a boy. Jesus knew that they wanted to be fed, but they needed to be filled. They wanted sustenance, but they needed substance. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.” As I read this, I remembered that I need Jesus, not just what He can do. He meets the need in my soul that encompasses so much more than mere hunger. When you don’t like your circumstances Jesus is who you need.

5. My life does not depend on my circumstances. We often think about the here and now. We focus on the tangible. We want comfort and security, but we all know that there is more to life than what we can observe – conscience, connection, and motivation are a few examples of intangible realities. Jesus said, “47 I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. 48 Yes, I am the bread of life! 49 Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. 50 Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.” (John 6:47-51, NLT) Our world is struggling now, but my soul doesn’t have to struggle. Jesus offers each one of us life.

6. Believing in Jesus is simple, but it’s not easy. At this point in the story people start walking away from Jesus, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” They weren’t willing to believe what they had seen and listen. They totally missed the point. Some stayed, saying “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life.” I live in a country where we grow up being taught that we can do anything if we set our minds to it, but we can’t have real life apart from Jesus – we need the humility to admit it’s His to give, not ours to earn. You can receive Him and have life.

Jesus, thank you for reminding me today that life is about so much more than here and now. Thank you that eternal life is available to everyone. Help me to believe every day. You’ve got this.