Lent Devotional Day 12

Day 12
Sunday, March 5


John 6:1-15

6 After this Jesus went across the Galilee Sea (that is, the Tiberias Sea). 2 A large crowd followed him, because they had seen the miraculous signs he had done among the sick. 3 Jesus went up a mountain and sat there with his disciples. 4 It was nearly time for Passover, the Jewish festival.
5 Jesus looked up and saw the large crowd coming toward him. He asked Philip, “Where will we buy food to feed these people?” 6 Jesus said this to test him, for he already knew what he was going to do.

7 Philip replied, “More than a half year’s salary[a] worth of food wouldn’t be enough for each person to have even a little bit.”
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said, 9 “A youth here has five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that for a crowd like this?”

10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass there. They sat down, about five thousand of them. 11 Then Jesus took the bread. When he had given thanks, he distributed it to those who were sitting there. He did the same with the fish, each getting as much as they wanted. 12 When they had plenty to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather up the leftover pieces, so that nothing will be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves that had been left over by those who had eaten.

14 When the people saw that he had done a miraculous sign, they said, “This is truly the prophet who is coming into the world.” 15 Jesus understood that they were about to come and force him to be their king, so he took refuge again, alone on a mountain.


Reflection

‘When the people saw that he had done a miraculous sign, they said, “This is truly the prophet who is coming into the world.”’ One of the first verses states how, ‘A large crowd followed him, because they had seen the miraculous signs he had done among the sick.’ But even though they had seen and heard of the miracles he had done they were slow to believe that Jesus was actually who he said he was. 

I feel like I often relate to that. Sometimes, even when God is performing little miracles through my life, I find it hard to believe that God is truly who God says God is. 

It is hard to remember at times that God is our father, that God created us in God’s own perfect image and that God already has a plan. 

Many times I feel like I am one of the five thousand, like I am following God because I’m skeptical, because I’m waiting for God to perform some big miracle that shows me God is the God and not just a story. 

It’s easy to doubt things that seem impossible. Just as how it was easy for Jesus’ disciples to doubt that they could ever provide for such a large crowd. But in the end Jesus showed them that he always provides.


Prayer

Dear God, help me to appreciate the little miracles that you perform in my life every day. Help me to see you how those five thousand saw you, as the one you say you are. Amen.

By Milo Broombaugh