John 6:5 “He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.”
“So what are we going to do with all these people?” Jesus asked Philip. A crowd of five thousand was flooding the countryside. But the disciples didn’t have enough money to buy even a scrap of bread for each one. And if they did, no Paneras graced the landscape. The best they could come up with was a small boy toting five barley loaves and two small fish. For over five-thousand people?
Scripture says Jesus already knew what he was going to do. He asked Philip to test his faith. Could Philip look beyond the natural and believe Jesus was able to miraculously meet the need? Only as the disciples faced impossible situations would their faith have opportunity to grow.
And so it is for us. I think Jesus still puts his disciples in impossible situations to increase our faith.
I was recently struggling over a situation that seems as formidable as feeding thousands of people in the desert. Interestingly, I was reading the sixth chapter of John at the time, and it seemed like the Lord was saying, “What are we gonna’ do about it? Will you recognize the five loaves and two fish I’m providing?” Will you believe I can work a miracle from that small amount?
Our faith grows when we choose to believe in Jesus, even when we don’t understand how he will come through. We realize he already has the answer, and we trust him, even if the only answer we see comes in the form of a mustard seed (or five loaves and two fish).
The Bible uses the word believe (or its derivative) 257 times. So believing in Christ, no matter at what level, can hardly be over emphasized. In fact, John says the whole Bible was written that we would believe Jesus is the Son of God, and by believing have life in his name (John 20:31).
So the next time you’re facing a way-over-your-head problem, consider the Lord has put you in that situation to test your faith. Not to see you fail, but to empower you to pass with flying colors.
Lord we believe!