What Good is That?

Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?”

He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.

Philip replied, “Even if we worked for months,

we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!”

Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up.

“There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish.

But what good is that with this huge crowd?”

John 6:5 - 9  NLT

As I'm studying the Gospel of John, new thoughts and applications come to mind.  The disciples had seen Jesus heal others. He had also turned water into wine. They had daily been with Him.  And yet...

I have His Word. There have been many miracles in my life. He has been a constant Source of strength. He has shown compassion and forgiveness. I choose to spend daily time with Him.  And yet...

You have access to His Word. Hopefully you have seen His hands in your life. You can choose to spend time with Him everyday.  And yet...

One week was especially rough, physically:  a pulled muscle, anemia, nausea, headache. Then in one day, I had a nosebleed that got on a white blouse of mine, bladder issues, ending with a rough bout of diarrhea. I became frustrated and asked "how much more?" After mentioning my frustration to my wise brother, I apologized for complaining.  "Complaining doesn't do any good. Sorry." "It would be frustrating..." (So, he knows that I need to vent at times.)  And yet... 

God went before me when I found out that India was not in the plans. He orchestrated (through a dear friend) getting my job back with full benefits. The Lord held me in His arms during the roughest parts of chemo.  He carried me through kidney and lung surgeries. He was with me March, 2011, when it appeared I'd had a stroke and lost my thinking abilities. He grieved with me when I had to give up teaching. He surrounded me when I moved to San Jose.  And yet...

My - Our relationship with Christ often goes to deeper levels of understanding. Just like the disciples, every step shows us His wisdom, compassion, and power. Just like these followers of Jesus, we have said, "We wouldn't have enough money..." And, "But what good is that...?"  Step by step. Day by day. Remember He is always working in us.