I have been reading through the book of Matthew this summer and the other day I was in chapter 15, specifically in verses 21-39 where the feeding of the 4,000 occurs. I have been doing a study by Tara Leigh Cobble alongside the book of Matthew and she made an interesting connection to the number of leftovers from feeding the 4,000 and a few verses before in the feeding the 5,000. Here is what she had to say:
“Earlier, when Jesus fed the five thousand, there were twelve baskets left over, likely symbolizing His care for the twelve disciples. This time, however, there were seven baskets left over. In Judaism, the number seven symbolizes completion or perfection. Here, we see the abundance of Jesus’ kingdom that extends beyond Jesus to include Gentiles.”
Completion.
Perfection.
All people, everywhere. Because what it meant to feed Gentiles back then would be the equivalent to feeding our enemies today, or to feeding the people that we see as less than. And Jesus didn’t just feed them, there was an abundance. The abundance of His Kingdom. It is complete. It is perfect.
And what a funny thought. This world is starving for completion, perfection, and abundance. But, the reality is, we will never get there. Not on our own. Not without Jesus. We will always fall short or falter on our mountain top. We live in a world that is broken, incomplete, and imperfect. And it will be until the end, when Jesus returns to make all things new. But, as we see in this story AND in the feeding of the 5,000…we bring what we have to Jesus, we give thanks to God for what we have and we partner with Him to walk in an abundant life. A life that is possible this side of heaven. A life that is beautiful, full of blessings, and joy.
Back in Matthew 11, Jesus says this: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” v.28.
In Matthew 14, when the disciples say, “We only have five loaves of bread and two fish” (v.17). Jesus replies, “Bring them here to me“ (v.18).
And again in Matthew 15, the disciples bring to Him what they have, seven loaves (v.36).
The key to an abundant life in a broken world? Bring to Jesus what we do have. Trust Him to multiply. Trust Him to give you rest. Trust Him. It is a simple equation, but not always an easy one to walk out.
Trust, for me, sometimes it comes easily. Like when I moved to Hawaii, or when I walked through the grief of losing Jacob and then the fire. I easily trusted God on His timing for me to move home and provide a job for me…one where He would bless me and use me.
But, trust has also been hard for me. In my season of singleness, lately, my trust has wavered. Will you Lord, really provide a husband and a family for me? If this thing I have desired for so long never comes to pass, will I still trust you?
And I think, when our seasons of waiting are long, these questions, this wrestling, it’s only natural. And when I reflect on why I am faced with these questions, it has nothing to do with God. It’s the world, me allowing the world, to be louder than He is. Letting the enemy make me think that my God isn’t perfect or complete. That He isn’t a God of abundance. It’s a tactic as old as time, the enemy feeding us lies to make us question our God (I mean just read the story of Adam and Eve and how the serpent lured Eve and then Adam, causing them to question God.)
I bring up my struggle in this moment because it all goes back to our abundant God. The disciples, even though Jesus had just fed 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish, still lacked trust, asking the LORD of the universe, “Where could we get enough bread to feed such a crowd? (Matthew 15:33). I mean, it makes me giggle. Like guys, you just witnessed the feeding of 5,000 people and yet, your faith still wavered, you still question God. But, then again, isn’t the same true of us?
My God provided a house, and community, financial stability, abundance…the entire time I lived on Maui. The miracles He did in my life, in the lives around me, incredible. And yet, I still have asked Him time and again, will I get married someday?
Thankfully, we are in good company. Trust in Jesus, even for the guys that physically saw Him, touched Him, walked with Him, was hard, is hard. That’s the reality. So, what do we do in those seasons? Exactly what the disciples did. Exactly what Jesus tells us to do in Matthew 11. We bring what we do have. We sit at His feet. We bring Him our questions. We let Him be the abundant, perfect, complete God that He is.
And in the seasons where we do question Him, we remember to always bring those questions TO Him. He will answer. He will provide. He will sit with us. Pause for a moment and look back on your life. Think about all He has already done for you, all He has provided for you. Look back to the cross at what He did for you on Calvary. Because the bottom line is this…we deserved death, but what we got is freedom, grace, mercy, forgiveness and love. What He did for us on Calvary was more than enough. THAT is the root of our trust. Because yes, I do trust the Lord to provide a husband for me, a family. But, even if He doesn’t, even if I am single for my whole life, my life still has a purpose. And my life is still sealed for eternity. My life is in the hands of the creator of the universe. He is perfect and complete. And I will spend eternity with Him. That is our promise in what Jesus did on the cross. That is the abundant, beautiful life we get to live out of. Not because of our circumstances, our grit, or even our own faith, but because of our Sovereign God.
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1
Love and blessings,
Radical Road 