My Little for His Much

After completing a teaching session recently, I didn’t feel it had gone as I would have liked. I learnt a long time ago not to analyse every detail and beat myself up at such times, but still I was disappointed. I knew I needed to trust the Lord that even if just one person had received something from Him through the session it had been worth it.

To my absolute surprise, the next day I received an email with a list of testimonies from people whom the Lord had touched and brought real breakthrough in their lives. I was moved to tears at the Lord’s goodness. Despite my meagre offering, He had blessed these hungry, hurting people.

The Lord was reiterating how little it depends on me, and on me saying the right things or expressing them in a particular way, and how very much it depends on Him and His heart for the oppressed and the desperate, and His utter faithfulness.

I was reminded of the story of the boy with the five small barley loaves and two small fish. What he had was woefully inadequate to feed the hungry multitude. But he willingly gave his little to Jesus, and Jesus performed the miracle of feeding five thousand people with his offering. And he didn’t just feed them with a little snack, but to the point that ‘all were satisfied’ and twelve baskets were filled with the leftovers.

I guess at some time or another we’ve all had times of doubt, thinking, ‘What can I do?’ or ‘What do I have to offer?’ This miraculous story from John 6 is such an encouragement, for if the young lad had thought like that then an incredible opportunity might have been wasted: the opportunity for Jesus to show His tender heart for all those in need, who look to Him, and to show His limitless power to meet each one’s personal need.

Jesus defies all human logic. So, let’s be encouraged and equipped for those times when the enemy tempts us to think that way, or he whispers doubt and discouragement in your ear (or mine!) that ‘you didn’t say that right’ or ‘you didn’t do that right’. We can remind him of this biblical miracle and its message to us and send him away with his tail between his legs!

In comparison to Jesus, we are all woefully inadequate, and whatever we have to give is woefully inadequate. But, what a massive encouragement that if we, like the little boy in the story, simply give the little we have (however little that might be) to Jesus, He lovingly receives our offering, multiplies it and works far beyond anything we can ever imagine possible.

Prayer: Thank You, Lord Jesus, that it’s not about how much I have, but about what I do with what I have. Please help me to stand firm against the enemy’s discouragements and taunts, and to willingly give what I have as the opportunities arise, and to trust that You are able to do so very much with the tiniest offering that is given to You. Amen.