Empty Pocket Faith

Recently I read the story about how Jesus miraculously fed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish. God reminded me that He is able to do over and above anything I can think or imagine. He's good like that. On that day, a disciple named Philip learned the same thing.

Here's the scene. There's 5,000 people that have been following Jesus and His crew around for days listening to Jesus and experiencing healing. The people are hungry, tired and needy and the disciples are feeling burned out.

Jesus is moved with compassion.

He tests Philip's faith factor by asking him, "Where are we going to buy bread to feed all these people?" Think about that for a minute. Isn't that kinda funny? What's even funnier is that Philip looked around at the circumstances, and the resources that were at hand, and came to a very logical conclusion, "Philip answered Jesus, 'Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not even enough for them each to have even a bite!'" Maybe after checking with Judas, who was the treasurer, Philip decided it was impossible since they didn't have enough money. "Lord, it can't be done."

Philip was being practical and pragmatic. Haven't we all been there too? He was thinking inside the box. The attitude was contagious because then Andrew caught it too. He chimed in, "Hey, there's a kid here who's got five loaves and a couple fish. But what good is that going to do since there's so many people to feed?" I can almost hear the discouragement in his voice. Philip must have asked Andrew to figure out exactly what they had to work with. Andrew agreed with Philip, it couldn't be done. "Lord, just send them all home."

They all were looking around at each other and what they didn't have while realizing their pockets were empty.

I love the honest transparency of people in the Bible. Just like me, often the disciples were like, "Duh, what?" So, Jesus says to them, "Make the people sit and rest in the green pasture." While they were doing nothing with nothing, Jesus takes what little they had, multiplies it exponentially, and feeds all of His sheep.

WOW! What a surprise! Can you imagine?

The whole thing got me to thinking. Sometimes God allows my pockets to empty out so He can grow my faith too. The tight squeeze reveals that I need His help. Jesus is compassionate. Empty pockets are a reminder that God is able the do the impossible with nothing. Jesus is able to provide everything that I need to do what He wants. My job is to simply put everything I have in His hands first. Like Philip, I have to rely on His power instead of my own strength. God reveals His surprises only after I've emptied out, not before.

Here is God's promise:
"God is able to make all grace abound to me, so that in all things at all times, having all that I need, I will abound in every good work."  2 Corinthians 9:8