PAUSING
You may need some headphones for today's prayer time. Listen to the above song as much as you'd like and prayerfully allow the words to invite you to stillness before God. Re-center any scattered thoughts or desires onto His loving presence.
PRAYING
Holy Spirit, breathe new life into my story. Expand my heart and my imagination. Stir up my longing and desire for You. Draw me close to You that we may enjoy each other.
ENCOUNTERING HIS WORD
"When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”” - Matthew 14:13-16
In the book Wishful Thinking, author Fredrick Buechner describes compassion as, “The fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else’s skin. It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too.”
Jesus is with His disciples and He sees a crowd. And because He sees them, He was moved with compassion for them and healed their sick. It’s the story of the feeding of the 5,000 but it almost never happened. Jesus' disciples wanted to send the people away. It didn't matter that they were hungry and tired from following Jesus all day. Or maybe it did matter but the disciples just didn't think it their responsibility to feed them. Whatever the case, these disciples had witnessed Jesus perform ministry and miracles that entire day, but they didn't think that Jesus' ministry would perform another one just to feed the hungry.
You know how the story goes. Jesus took what was available - two fish and five loaves of bread - and he blessed it, broke it, and passed it out among the crowd (kind of like the way we did communion yesterday!). Miraculously, the small amount of food multiplied, and everyone ate their fill. The disciples, initially skeptical and focused on sending the people away, witnessed firsthand the power of Jesus' compassion and generosity. Jesus saw the people when everyone else saw the burden. Jesus moved towards compassion when everyone else was focused on their own concerns.
REFLECTING AND PRAYING
GODS PROMISE
"Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice. Surely the righteous will never be shaken;" - Psalm 112:5
You may need some headphones for today's prayer time. Listen to the above song as much as you'd like and prayerfully allow the words to invite you to stillness before God. Re-center any scattered thoughts or desires onto His loving presence.
PRAYING
Holy Spirit, breathe new life into my story. Expand my heart and my imagination. Stir up my longing and desire for You. Draw me close to You that we may enjoy each other.
ENCOUNTERING HIS WORD
"When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”” - Matthew 14:13-16
In the book Wishful Thinking, author Fredrick Buechner describes compassion as, “The fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else’s skin. It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too.”
Jesus is with His disciples and He sees a crowd. And because He sees them, He was moved with compassion for them and healed their sick. It’s the story of the feeding of the 5,000 but it almost never happened. Jesus' disciples wanted to send the people away. It didn't matter that they were hungry and tired from following Jesus all day. Or maybe it did matter but the disciples just didn't think it their responsibility to feed them. Whatever the case, these disciples had witnessed Jesus perform ministry and miracles that entire day, but they didn't think that Jesus' ministry would perform another one just to feed the hungry.
You know how the story goes. Jesus took what was available - two fish and five loaves of bread - and he blessed it, broke it, and passed it out among the crowd (kind of like the way we did communion yesterday!). Miraculously, the small amount of food multiplied, and everyone ate their fill. The disciples, initially skeptical and focused on sending the people away, witnessed firsthand the power of Jesus' compassion and generosity. Jesus saw the people when everyone else saw the burden. Jesus moved towards compassion when everyone else was focused on their own concerns.
REFLECTING AND PRAYING
- Confront any areas where you are tempted to turn away from the needs of others.
- Ask God to make you a vessel of His generosity. Creatively imagine what it would look like for you to partner with God in sharing willingly and selflessly, just as Jesus shared the two fish and five loaves.
GODS PROMISE
"Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice. Surely the righteous will never be shaken;" - Psalm 112:5