What is in your hand?

Ntaja Malawi

 “He asked them, ‘How many loaves do you have?’ They said, ‘seven.’ Then He ordered the crowd to sit on the ground and HE TOOK THE SEVEN LOAVES, and after giving thanks He broke them and gave them to the disciples to distribute; and they distributed them to the crowd. They also had a few small fish; and after blessing them, He ordered that these too should be distributed. They ate and were filled; and they took up the broken pieces left over; SEVEN baskets full…’When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?’ They said to Him, ‘Twelve.’ ‘And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?’ And they said to Him, ‘Seven.’…”                  

- Mark7:5-8 & 19-20

I love this story and Jesus’ later response to His disciples about it. How beautiful! I love that the disciples had seven loaves, and they gave Jesus all that that they had, but it is their response before this action that gets me—before giving Jesus all they have, they doubt and wonder saying; “Jesus! How can we feed this huge group of people out in the middle of nowhere—in this desert?!”

Though the disciples had already seen and been a part of Jesus miracle with the five thousand, and all twelve of them had taken away a basket full of broken pieces—yet still they ask—“Jesus…how can someone do this impossible task of giving food to the multitudes with such a lack of resources?” And God in flesh gives the age old response…the same response He gave to Moses when Moses told God he couldn’t lead the people out of Egypt. He said, “What do you have?” And the disciples responded with giving all that they had. In that moment, Jesus takes what they have to offer and makes it more than enough to do all that was in His heart to do. And at the end of the day, the disciples walk away with more than what they had at the start.

They gave everything they had for the purpose of Jesus, and walked away with more than they gave…

And isn’t this how Jesus works?...

Jesus is a big dreamer. He has plans and purposes that He wants to accomplish through my life, which I know are far beyond my resources and abilities. When I hear of them- I want to respond like the disciples, “And Lord—how does one feed a crowd of thousands in the middle of the desert? How? Please humor me!” And when my heart feels like it is walking through a desert, how do you still plan to use my life for your purpose? A purpose which seems to require SO much more than what I have to offer right now? How?

It is in these moments of feeling like there is nothing left to offer to God, when He looks at us so tenderly and whispers, “How many loaves do you have?” Or with Moses, “What is in your hand?” Then He takes what is already in our hands, and He makes it enough to accomplish all that is in His heart. And in the aftermath we walk away with more than what we gave.

Thinking this way takes away the fear of, “Will I have enough if I live generously for the sake of the love of Jesus?” Because we know that the answer is always, “yes.” When we give all that is in our hands to Him—God will make it enough to accomplish His purpose, and we will walk away without want. For as David said, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.”

I recently heard a sermon in which Christine Caine sad something like, “What if we stopped complaining about our “not enough,” but chose to give thanks for it instead?” What if we chose to give thanks for what is in our hand? What if we did that?

What if we gave thanks for the little that is in our hand, and offer it all—generously and without restraint?

I think we would have more moments of wonder and gratitude as we watch Jesus turn our, “not enough,” into more than enough. We would more often see Him accomplish all that is in His heart- through our lives. And I think we would walk away with more than what we gave in the beginning.