"But we only have five loaves and two fish here," they said to Him. "Bring them here to Me," He said. Then He commanded the crowds to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them. He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. Everyone ate and was filled. Then they picked up 12 baskets full of leftover pieces!—Matthew 14:17-20
Last season, I was watching the NBA playoffs and the finals. I saw some miraculous shots (like LeBron's 3-pointer) throughout each series. These moments make it onto ESPN's top 10 plays.
One of the top miracles Jesus performed was the feeding of the 5,000 with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. I noticed that the same pattern appeared in each Gospel. Jesus blessed the bread, broke the bread, then kept giving the bread until everyone was fed. After the meal, 12 baskets of leftovers were filled. That's a miracle by anyone's standards.
Thinking of the 5 loaves of bread as the 5 players on the basketball court, it's easy to see that the ones who make it to the finals are blessed. The toughest part of the analogy would be for the player to place himself in Jesus' hands and allow the Savior to break him so that he can be used. That is also the toughest part for you and me.
We have to turn the ball of our lives over to Jesus. That's when the miracle happens. He uses us to touch the lives of countless others when we surrender ourselves to Him. God has bigger plans for you than He had for those 5 loaves.
1. Do you realize you've been blessed by God?
2. Have you placed your life in His hands today?
3. Are you prepared for Him to do a miracle through you?
Mark 6:37-44
Luke 9:13-17
John 6:9-13
