One Handful at a Time
By
Elin Henderson
“So, He commanded the multitude to
sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them
and gave them to His disciples to set before them, and they set them before the multitude.”
Mark 8:6 (NKJV)
Needy multitudes. This story in Mark
8 might be thousands of years old but the needy multitudes are still with us
today! Whether it is 4 or 4,000 we are surrounded by people with needs every
day. People who are needy for our time, our love, our support, our finances,
our counsel, and more. We, as disciples
of Jesus, are called to follow Him into the midst of these multitudes to
minister. But, more so than that, He is calling us to participate firsthand in
the miracles He will perform in our midst!
The feeding of the 4,000 actually
comes after what we would consider a ministry marathon. Their resources were
depleted and the disciples themselves were weary and depleted. Then Jesus calls
them to take the little that they can scrounge up to eat and share it with this
multitude. There wasn’t enough to feed the 4,000 let alone have anything left
over for the disciples themselves to eat.
Jesus miraculously took the meager
fish and bread and began dividing it and handing it to the disciples. Each of
the disciples came forward, picked up a handful and started distributing it.
When their hands were empty, they turned and returned to the Master to fill
them once again. Jesus could have just miraculously made bread and fish appear
in the lap of each person there, but He chose to use the disciples to serve the
multitude. Little by little, the crowds were fed and the disciples got a front
row seat to an awesome miracle. More so than that, they got a front row seat in
the act of serving and giving.
Is Jesus inviting you to participate
in a miracle with him today? You might look down at your meager resources and
say, “It’s not enough, God!” Then, He takes that meagerness and fills your
hands with His miraculous provision. “Now, go, my disciple,” He says, “And feed
that little group over there.” When that supply runs out, you lift up your
eyes, find the Master and return to Him for more provisions. He gives you just
what you need to reach out to the next person, then the next, then the next
until the crowd is fed, one miraculous handful at a time. And you got to
be a part!
GOING DEEPER:
1.
What would you say are the top 5
needs of the “multitudes” around you?
2.
How are your resources looking?
Where can you go to receive what you need to reach out and serve?
FURTHER
READING:
Oakwood’s missionaries Elin
Henderson (a registered nurse) and her husband Phil serve as church planters
with New Tribes in Mozambique, Africa.
Elin is mother to fifteen-year-old Callie and twelve-year-old Elias.
