“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” – John 6:9 NIV
When Jesus fed the 5000 in the wilderness, the hero of the story is a young boy who shared his lunch. I’m sure his parents were proud of him. We all hope our children will be stellar examples of sharing and faith. But it doesn’t always turn out that way.
I was listening to Minnesota Annual Conference Superintendent Woojae Im preach at my son’s church in Bloomington. He was sharing how God called him into ministry in Korea, and how reluctant he was when he was asked to come to America. When he poured out his heart to God in prayer, he received a miraculous reply that gave him peace. And the rest, as they say, is history. Pastor Woojae has spent that past two decades ministering in Minnesota.
One summer at Vacation Bible School, the theme of the week was Jesus feeding the 5000. During the children’s time in worship the following Sunday, Pastor Woojae asked the children what they would do if they were in the wilderness with a lunch their mother had packed for them and put in their backpack, but now Jesus needed their lunch to feed the crowd. Pastor Woo Jae’s son raised his hand and answered, “I’d hide.”
Needless to say that answer was a bit embarrassing for Pastor Woojae, but at least his son was honest. And, if we are honest, there are times we would like to hide when there is something Jesus asks of us. We may even ask for some miraculous sign, as Pastor Woojae did, but hope that we won’t get it so we can ignore what Jesus asks of us. What Jesus asks is not always what we want to do, but, like Pastor Woojae coming to America and the boy giving his lunch, when we step out in faith and respond to the call we may see miracles.
God bless your week,
Pastor Mark