My Provider

“How much bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and find out.”

They came back and reported, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish.”

Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass.  So they sat down in groups of fifty or a hundred.

Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share.  They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish.  A total of 5,000 men and their families were fed.  Mark 6:38-44

My wife and me will often write notes to each other as affirmation of our wonderful and amazing love for each other. Sometimes, we will write on the envelope of the note positive words of affirmation describing the love the writer has for the other.  For example, one envelope I wrote her recently was from an old Barry White song simply saying, “My first, my last, my everything.”  I know for older ‘Ally McBeal’ fans, you are about to have that tune in your head for the rest of the day 😊  We often place these notes in areas of our work places to remind us when we are away just how much we mean to each other.  One which hangs in my area was of comfort the other day.  I looked at it, and on the corner of the envelope it said, “My provider.”  Those words are humbling to read even to this day.  It’s not that she does not realize that God is our ultimate provider, because she does.  However, it is the meaning of the word that she wanted to acknowledge.  It is to say she appreciates I give her the love, affection, and comfort she needs.  That means a lot to me because it goes back to that famous Rick Warren ‘Purpose Driven Life’ opening sentence that has become a guiding light for my walk of faith; it’s not about you.

God’s often underappreciated but incredibly important attribute is that He is a awesome provider for us. One of my recent devotions talked about God always watching over us.  In that case, the focus was on how God is there when we do not notice.  In this case, we focus on those times where we truly know He delivers.  For the disciples in today’s verses, they have thousands to feed and little to offer.  Or so they thought.  Jesus simply does what he does, and all the people are fed.  It really sounds too simple, but we often find that it is the simplest things that are the most powerful and profound.  In our lives, we often do not know how we will get through life’s trials, or we struggle to find a way through a situation.  Then low and behold, God shows up often in an awesome way.  A check comes in the mail just as you realize you don’t have anything in the account, or a friend stops by when you are at your near breaking point asking, “Are you ok?”  Sometimes, it’s just a word or scripture from the Bible that gives your strength and courage to carry through another day.  We should always expand our understanding of who God is beyond just the ‘He gives me stuff’ realm.  Much of His provision is well beyond material things or what we can understand.  Like my wife knows, it’s His love, nurturing, protection, and so much more.  What we as followers of Christ should aspire to do is become more aware of those things, and most importantly, give thanks for it!

God’s provision is unlimited! He gives us so much, and yet, asks for so little.  Obedience to God to some may seem to be a bit much, but if we have a relationship with Him, we see clearly all that He does in our life.  Let us spend more time reflecting on God’s gifts to us no matter what form they may come in.  Where might you give God the glory for gifts received?  How has God provided for you beyond what you see?  My prayer is that we see God today for all the blessings He has given as ‘my provider.’  Amen.