Lord of our Daily
Bread
Len's
reflections from today and an update on Kenny.
Tonight on
the eve of Valentines day 2013, I finished the reading of a biography of John
Adams, 2nd President
of the United States of America. It is also the day that I have spent in
prayer for our Son Kenneth as he is in the midst of a biopsy on his liver as I
write these words. Prayer is what keeps Mary and I going. Prayer is
what works in the unknown of life as we face the mystery of what is up with
Kenny now. Launching from the thoughts from the chapter from the book by
Lutzer, I echo the thoughts and sentiments that are possibly coming from the
disciples. No doubt the disciples thought about what Jesus was doing with
them and what He expected of them as they were observing what Jesus was doing
with 5 loaves and two fish. In specific, how much faith do they have to
believe that Jesus can do a miracle with so little. In a similar way how
much can Mary and I believe that the Lord will really make the difference in
Kenny’s present mystery that he is facing. Is the evidence so great that
it makes it hard to believe or is our faith so fickle to believe that the Lord
Almighty could make the spot on film to be nothing more than something that can
only be explained as a miracle.
What a
difference Jesus can make! The feeding of 5000 (John 6) is a remarkable
miracle of Jesus on things that can be appreciated by many people at the
same time. Many people experiencing the work of Jesus in a real way that
affects their lives. Each person experiencing Jesus at a level or degree
that means something memorable to them. The crowd of people was at least
5000 as there were women and children in attendance. Children in evidence
by the boy who provided the 5 loaves and 2 fish. Jesus wanted to feed the
crowd and had a solution. Jesus wanted to work with the disciples and
teach them a lesson. Do we get the lesson as well? Lutzer says that
“For the disciples, it was a test; for Jesus, it was just one more day of
obedience to the Father.” (p. 109) Where would we place our response to the
challenge of Jesus before us? Is the trial before each of us one of
obedience to the Father and at the same time a test to determine if we can
trust the Father in a similar way?
Andrew,
Simon Peter’s brother speaks to Jesus and says “Here is a boy with five small
barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among many?” vv. 8-9
Andrew is voicing what we would think in similar circumstances. On the
one hand the bringing the attention to what is at hand and in the same breath
the observation of what can it really do? Andrew shows faith and
doubt. Usually we show the same in the presence of difficult odds.
Yes, on the one hand Jesus could multiply the food and on the other hand, the
task is so large, what can so little do?
The
challenge at hand for the Reed family is similar. On the one hand we
accept with gratitude the goodness of the Lord in Kenny’s life over the past 6
years as there has been great recovery, great health and the movement towards
completion of vocational education. Now a spot is evident on the liver.
What is the lesson we need to learn? Has the Lord already cared for this
concern and we are to glean where the answer is already. Or is there the
need for us to show faith and believe that the Lord is in this uncertainty as
much as He was/is in the past 6 years of good health. Behind both Andrews
and our question is a “hint of faith, the suspicion that Jesus might do
something extraordinary.” p.110
Lutzer
reminds us what Luther said regarding those who are called by God. “When
He hath need of thee, He will know where to find thee”. p.111 Indeed the
Lord knows where to find us in our faith and dependency upon him. Jesus
loves us so much that He will lead us in the path that will find Him as we
depend upon Him. Jesus loves us and works with us in what we have.
Jesus seldom works without us, he waits to work with us in accomplishing what
He wants us to know and become. Lutzer expands this thought in the
following way.
“What we
have in our hands is ours and can only do what it can do; but when it is transferred
into Christ’s hands, there is no guessing as to what it might do. That
which is in our hands we lose; what is in Christ’s hands we keep. . . .
what is in our hands is nothing; what is in Jesus’ hands is everything.
Let us take what we have and put it in contact with Omnipotence.” p. 11
In the
miracle of Jesus providing food by putting what we can see into the hands
of Omnipotence makes for an unending supply. Jesus shows an over
abundance of supply beyond what was necessary and for a reason. What
reason? To show that the people could have as much as they wanted. v.
11 The disciples and probably the boy had more at the end than they had
at the beginning. In the hands of Jesus, supply was greater than
demand. As the disciples are first dispersing what is given to them and
they continue to come back and more is given, I am sure they are wondering and
marvelling at the same time that this is possible. Here is a miracle over
a couple of hours that keeps on showing the Omnipotence of God. The Jesus
asks that all the leftovers are picked up. Each disciple picking up
enough for a basket and then coming together to see the whole in relation to
what they started with. They experience the work of the Lord in real time
and ate of it too. How it would have impacted. How do you think it
would impact you?
This is a
pointed to question to Mary and I as we face our challenge before us. Our
son, Kenny has now had the biopsy. He is resting. The Dr’s are
saying 7 to 10 days to find the results. Our friends and community have
stood with us in prayer and expectation to the Lord to bring about an
Omnipotent result. Have we the faith to really believe that the outcome will be
in keeping with what we would hope and expect? Our Reed family have seen
the love and providence of God in our lives. The Lord has impressed upon
you our supporters and friends the importance of supporting us in our ministry
and work here at Sanctuary. We show the love that is expressed in Jesus
and the love expressed by each of you in giving and prayer as we show love to
others as they share our home and stay with us. The Lord works in their
lives in a way that is between them and the Lord. We are allowed to see
what the Lord is doing and are encouraged. Likewise with Kenny we are
sharing with each of you the work of the Omnipotent Jesus as He does His work
to bring to light what is now a mystery. Can I encourage each of us to
have the faith to believe that Lord Jesus ‘works all things together for good’,
even the things that would cause us to doubt. The task before the Lord is
not large. Will our faith be up to the level of the Lords provision and
answer?