Listen

He said, “Bring them here to me.” He ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves of bread and the two fish, looked up to heaven, blessed them and broke the loaves apart and gave them to his disciples. Then the disciples gave them to the crowds. Everyone ate until they were full, and they filled twelve baskets with the leftovers. About five thousand men plus women and children had eaten.

Matthew 14:18-21

Think

Is this one of your favorite stories of Jesus, too? No matter how many times I read it, I am inspired and excited about the amazing power of Jesus to not only feed the five thousand with so little — but also to have more left over than what he started with. What a powerful illustration of God’s abundant love for God’s children!

Can you imagine living before Jesus when stories like this one would not have been part of your faith vocabulary? I can try, but I imagine that world would be nearly hopeless. Thankfully, we live lives filled with this story’s powerful illustration of the bold power of God’s love for us in Jesus. And thankfully, we can find ourselves in this story because we too are the hungry ones, invited to an abundant feast, and blessed with more than enough, day after miraculous day.

Sarah Boatwright

Pray

Dear Lord, thank you for the teachings of Jesus. I am grateful for learning your lessons of hope. Help me to share them with others to the glory of your holy name. Amen.

Go

Let gratitude be the pillow
Upon which you kneel to
Say your nightly prayer
And let faith be the bridge
You build to overcome evil
And welcome good

Maya Angelou in Celebrations: Rituals of Peace and Prayer (2006)