When We Forget, He Reminds Us
Hey pals, it’s been a while. I was reading this morning in Matthew and there was so much on my mind I had to jump on and share it with you. If you were anywhere near church growing up, you probably heard the story about Jesus feeding a large crowd with bread and fish. If you haven’t heard, I’ll give you a recap:
When people heard that one of Jesus’s disciples had died (John), a large crowd came to find him. They gathered around Jesus and he spent time with them. Before dismissing them, he wanted to feed them. The disciples replied to this request, “We only have 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.” Jesus said a blessing to God and told the disciples to break pieces of bread and fish and give them to the crowd. After the crowd had left the disciples picked up 12 baskets of broken pieces left over! Jesus had taken the small amount of food and fed 5 THOUSAND PEOPLE! (Matthew 14:13-20)
Maybe for you this looks like God taking a trial and helping you find a way out, or healing a sickness in your family, or sparing you from a relationship you weren’t meant to be in. He took a situation that appeared hopeless and blessed you through it more than you could imagine.
Fast forward ONE chapter later. There is a crowd surrounding Jesus again, and he didn’t want to send them away hungry. The disciples respond, “Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed a great crowd?” Excuse me, disciples. Don’t you remember last chapter when Jesus literally FED 5 THOUSAND PEOPLE out of what seemed like nothing? To no surprise, Jesus feeds 4 thousand people with just a few loaves and fish yet again. (Matthew 15:32-38)
Maybe for you this looks like a few years after God delivered you from that trial. You forgot that you could trust him, and now you’re questioning his ability to lead you to the right college, job or relationship.
Fast forward one chapter, one more time. When the disciples had gone to the next place, they forgot to bring the bread with them. “And they had been discussing it among themselves, saying “We brought no bread...”” Jesus Responds, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?” (Matthew 16:5-12)
So, what’s my point? My point is that we are the disciples in this story, or at least I am. I am so quick to forget the faithfulness of God in my life. We face a trial; we ask him to help us through it and he does. That doesn’t mean he helps us the way we want all the time, but he responds. When we approach the next trial, we question if he can do it again. Sadly, forgetful people are who we are. But I just want to encourage you that God is faithful, and you can trust him. If you are walking through something now, make a list of ways Gods been faithful to you in the past, and take heart that he will surely carry you through them again. If you need reminded, read his word. It is the one source of truth we have. Life is too dang short to dwell on seemingly impossible circumstances when we serve a God who is faithful to us time and time again.