(Isaiah 54:11-17 NKJV)11
“ O you afflicted one, tossed with tempest, and not
comforted,
Behold, I will lay your stones
with colorful gems, and lay your foundations with sapphires. 12
I will make your pinnacles of rubies, Your gates of crystal,
And all your walls of precious
stones.
13 All your children shall
be taught by the LORD, And great shall be the peace
of
your children. 14
In righteousness you shall be established; You shall be far
from
oppression, for you shall not fear;
And from terror, for it shall not come near you. 15
Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me.
Whoever assembles against
you shall fall for your sake. 16
“ Behold, I have created the blacksmith
Who blows the coals in the fire,
Who brings forth an instrument for his work; And I have
created the spoiler to destroy. 17
No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which
rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the
heritage
of the servants of the Lord, and
their righteousness is from Me,” says the LORD."
In this passage of scripture,
the prophet Isaiah was giving a message to Zion or Jerusalem. That
message was one of hope, restoration, and Divine intervention.
Notice the last verse..."And their righteousness is from
Me," says the Lord. In the New Testament there is a story about
a little boy who gave up his lunch (5 loaves of bread & 2 fish),
so a multitude of people could be fed. It is popularly referred to
as, "The Feeding of the Five Thousand". It can be read in
all four of the Gospels. (Matthew 14:15-21; Mark 6:32-34; Luke
9:10-17; & John 6:1-13)However, only the book of John reveals
what the other three do not...a "young lad", or the little
boy who had a sack lunch. Understand, this boy must have been a Boy
Scout, because he was the only one prepared among thousands! Perhaps
he was the only one willing to give up his lunch among thousands!
Regardless, his lunch became the seed, which, when blessed by God,
filled EVERYONE! Now, it is tempting to make a HUGE deal out
of what the young boy had to offer. We could focus too much on his
gift...the way we often did when I was a child in Sunday school. We
could expound upon how selfless the boy was. We could exalt the boy
and his gift to legendary status...as some have done. But why? Why
do we want so desperately to magnify the generosity of the boy?!
Without the miraculous power of God manifested, the crowd would have
never tasted a crumb of the boy's lunch! Without an act of God, they
would all have remained hungry, not including the boy of course.
According to the story, Jesus was moved by compassion to spend time
with the multitude. He knew they were seeking to be in His presence,
therefore, He accommodated them. He also realized their predicament.
They were far from home, and it was late in the day...He knew they
were hungry. He also knew they were like sheep...in need of a
Shepherd. So...He told His disciples to feed them! They were a
little taken back. They knew it would take at least 200 denarii to
feed that many people even a small portion of bread. In other words,
when Jesus told them to feed the people, the disciples started
figuring what it would cost them. Jesus simplified things by having
them discover what they already had among them...the most
significant thing being HIMSELF! Interesting, isn't it? How often
have we been faced with an opportunity to see God manifested in our
presence, only to start thinking about what it might cost, or better
yet...cause! Our logical minds think logically! Consequently, we
often miss the Spirit's move, because we're so busy thinking,
contemplating, and considering! Jesus wasn't suggesting THEY solve
the hunger situation...He was offering them a solution through their
relationship with HIM! When they discovered they had five loaves and
two fish, they took it to Jesus. What did Jesus do? He took the
bread, looked up into Heaven, blessed and broke it, then gave it
back to them. What an awesome picture of how things work in God's
Kingdom! The boy gave his gift to the disciples. They in turn, took
the gift to Jesus. Jesus offered up thanks to His Father in
Heaven...and the gift was given back and multiplied exponentially!
Wow! Sounds like the Biblical principle of sowing and reaping! Jesus
was teaching such a greater story than just the feeding of 5000! He
was teaching His disciples how to experience phenomenal provision
and abundance...anywhere...they were out in the middle of
nowhere...anytime...it was late in the day...not the best
time to try and pull off the impossible...with anyone...Jesus
used the little boy to symbolize what is necessary to see miracles
happen...mustard seed faith...the faith of a little child! Jesus
wanted the disciples to realize that HE was their source! He wanted
the disciples to see how little is required for such BIG results!
200 denarii wouldn't have come close to accomplishing what Jesus
accomplished with the little boy's lunch! Not only did ALL of the
people eat...ALL of them were FILLED! Think about it! There were 12
baskets of bread left over! AFTER they ALL were FILLED!
Remember...Jesus saw that the people were like sheep without a
shepherd! HE became their Shepherd! He had the disciples instruct
the people to sit down in the green grass...much like the 23rd
Psalm..."He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me
beside the still waters, He restores my soul..." after it was
all said and done...they did not want! They were filled! "The
Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want..."
What was required then
for such a display of God's sovereignty, is required today. Trust
and obedience. The people trusted Jesus. The disciples trusted
Jesus. The people obeyed by sitting down upon the green grass. The
disciples obeyed Jesus. The little boy trusted God, and gave up his
lunch. EVERYONE benefited as a result! And ultimately, JESUS was
exalted! Oh that the body of Christ today would follow such a simple
way. Oh that we would all trust and obey. God's will is that each
member of the body of Christ would trust Him enough to obey His
voice. That each member would do his or her part, that ALL might be
edified! Jesus wasn't trying to make a hero of the little
boy...No...He was trying to show us ALL how easy it is to experience
His BEST! I pray that we will remember...ALWAYS...WHO our source is!
I pray that we ALL will remember that HE is the head of HIS church!
We are the church! We are His body! We must decrease...HE MUST
INCREASE! The miracles in store for those who will trust HIM, are
unfathomable with the natural mind! The blessings He wants to shower
on those who trust HIM, are matchless! May HIS BEST be what we
desire more than ANYTHING ELSE! Our ideas...our plans...our
thoughts...our desires...are NOTHING without Christ! "This is the
heritage of the servants of the Lord, and
their righteousness is from Me,” says the LORD." The
disciples, and the multitude had to yield in order to be filled! We
too...MUST YIELD in order to be filled! Help us Jesus to lie down in
the green pastures You have prepared for us. Help us Lord to be led
by the still waters. May You Oh God, restore our souls! May we
acknowledge that You are our Shepherd...and may we not
want!
Your Partner In Ministry,
Greg McCowen
Covenant Life Fellowship - Lubbock
Church - (806) 771-4244
