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When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
“Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. - Matthew 14:13-21
The needs of ministry are often overwhelming. Sometimes the opportunities before us are far greater than the resources we have to meet them. We wonder how the work God called us to accomplish will ever be completed, but Scripture reminds us again and again that God is faithful, and He always provides what is needed to accomplish His purposes.
When Jesus fed the five thousand in Matthew 14, the need seemed impossible to meet. The crowd was enormous, they were in a remote place, and Jesus Himself had only recently withdrawn there after hearing of John the Baptist's death. There was no practical way to feed everyone. The disciples' suggestion to send the people away so they could buy food in the nearby villages was entirely reasonable, and in fact, many of us have seen similar “reasonable” decisions made in ministry. At Christian conferences, for example, organizers often ask attendees to purchase their own meals in order to steward limited resources wisely. The disciples' proposal reflected good common sense and, some might say, good strategic hospitality.
But Jesus had something greater in mind. He wanted His disciples to discover that when a need is placed in His hands, human limitations don’t define the outcome. Taking five loaves and two fish, He gave thanks, broke the bread, and fed thousands. Not only was every person satisfied, but twelve baskets of leftovers remained. What seemed utterly insufficient became more than enough in the hands of the Lord. This wasn’t just reasonable, strategic planning or good hospitality. This was radical hospitality, impossible hospitality, and that can only be done through the power of God in Christ.
In fact, anything good that we’re called to do that is radical and impossible can only be done in and through God. Perhaps you’re facing a similar moment in the ministry God entrusted to you. What need feels beyond your ability to meet? What ministry opportunity seems underfunded? Where have you prayed faithfully but still wonder how God will provide?
It’s true that many times God provides through ordinary and reasonable ways, just as the disciples first suggested. There are moments when the practical solution is the wisest choice. But there are other times when the Lord gently says, "Bring what you have to Me." Those are often the moments He chooses to display His faithfulness in ways we could never have imagined. The hardest part is often the waiting. We know God is faithful, but we can’t see how His provision will come. Faith requires us to trust Him before we see the answer.
I'm reminded of Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier. As his Bell X-1 approached Mach 1, the aircraft shook violently. The buffeting became so severe that reading the instruments was difficult, but the moment he passed through the barrier, the shaking stopped and the flight became remarkably smooth. There are seasons in ministry that feel much like that. The pressures increases. Resources seem inadequate. Obstacles multiply. The temptation comes to slow down, retreat, or conclude that God is no longer at work.
At these moments, the Lord is inviting you to trust Him more deeply than ever before. Don't mistake the shaking for His absence. Continue to walk by faith. Continue to obey. Continue to place your ministry and its needs into His hands. The God who multiplied five loaves and two fish hasn’t changed. He’s still faithful. He still provides. And He delights in demonstrating His sufficiency when our own resources have reached their end.
The Rev. Canon Mark Eldredge
American Anglican Council, President
