Humans are prone to worry. When there is no clear path forward, people tend to worry. One of the most typical and harmful habits people participate in daily is worrying about various aspects of their lives, such as finances, health, relationships, parenthood, and aging. Excessive worry can deplete our willpower, leaving us worn out and doubtful of our abilities to succeed. When we worry too much, we take our minds off the task at hand and distort our judgment, making it harder to see the big picture.
In spite of everything going on in the country and around us, the Bible instructs us not to worry. When we worry, a bit of our peace leaves us (John 14:27). But Jesus assures us that we need not be worried because he has left his with peace with us. Worry is the only thing that may dissipate such peace.
The wonderful lessons in John 6:5-11 are a gentle reminder that nothing we face on earth is too huge for God, and Jesus is large enough to meet any of our expectations (Matthew 6:25-34).
A great multitude was making its way toward Jesus, and he turned to his disciples and asked, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” He spoke this to see how they would respond. Philip was the first to respond, “two hundred denarii’s worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.”
Two hundred denarii was the equivalent of eight months salary. That was a lot back then. Even in today’s economy, a year’s pay is a lot of money. Philip says he calculated the price of bread at Bethsaida, 14 kilometers away, so he could run there and bring all this bread. What did he do? How was he handling this task or test?
Isn’t that how we solve our problems? Trying to sort things out totally on our own? Calculation alone traps us in our problems.
The Bible then has Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saying to Jesus, “There’s a boy here with five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?” Sit down, Jesus instructed the men. Roughly 5,000 people took seats. They sat down, and Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and gave them to the disciples, who then distributed them to the crowd. In addition, they were free to take as many fish as they desired.
You’ll notice that it’s not the first to respond that catches Jesus’ attention, but the first to respond with faith. Andrew had demonstrated that he had matured in faith at this point. He knew by this point that Jesus could make something great out of nothing. I’m sure he remembered how Jesus had given his brother, Peter, two shiploads of fish after catching nothing all night.
When we remember the most recent good thing God has done for us, whether it be a healing miracle, a miraculous provision, a supernatural intervention, etc., our faith is bolstered.
Beloved, the moral of this story is worthy of our consideration right now. Philip gave the figures his full attention. Jesus’s thoughts shifted to the Father. We can follow Philip’s lead and admit, “My resources are so limited,” or we can follow Jesus’ lead and worship God, finding solace in the many blessings he has bestowed upon us.
Let us take heed of the divine message that has been revealed to us through the Holy Scriptures. Let’s try to put our faith in the Lord, give Him our worries, embrace His peace, and believe that God will continue to do amazing things in our lives. Amen.
