Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.
(Luke 9:16 NKJV)
You have probably felt the pangs of a broken heart or the deep disappointment of a broken relationship. You might know the frustration of feeling incomplete and unable to do anything about it.
Jesus had given the disciples power and authority before He sent them out to heal the sick and preach the gospel (Luke 9:2). They return to Jesus looking for some down time and eager to share their experiences. But their private time was interrupted. Life gets interrupted and at the most inconvenient times.
The multitude of five thousand men equaled about fifteen thousand when we include the women and children. Daylight began to dim, and the crowd showed no sign of leaving. The disciples glanced around. All they could see was a sea of people and no food. Despair began to settle upon them.
When presented with a problematic situation, we ask the Lord to do the same thing the disciples requested; Send the multitude away. Send these circumstances away. Send this disease away.
With all the power and authority Jesus had given them earlier, they still had to put this situation in the Lord’s hands.
They gave Him all they had: five loaves of bread and two fish. In the hands of Jesus, two things happened. Jesus blessed and broke the food. Afterward, the multitude was fed, and twelve baskets of leftovers were gathered by the disciples.
Friend, Jesus has given us that same power and authority. Like the disciples, we still have to put our problems in Jesus’s hands. We are incapable of handling it on our own.
We offer it to Jesus and He must break it. Sometimes He must break us.
The Holy Spirit breaks us in order to make us.
Like a sculptor chipping away at a block of marble, the Spirit chisels away at our self-reliance and our sin. No one enjoys this process, but when we desire to grow in Christ, we must have some of our fleshly layers removed.
While we don’t like times of brokenness, we love the blessings. That bread and fish could never feed the multitude when it was whole. It had to be broken in order to become useful.
Friend, we must be broken too. In order to mature spiritually. In order to allow God to work through us. In order to fulfill our destiny.
On that grassy hillside, the blessing was a feast. In our lives, the blessing will come in many forms. We must endure the brokenness to arrive at the blessing. If you are on that journey today, be encouraged because your blessing is on its way. It just hasn’t arrived yet. Remember, Jesus blessed the food before breaking it. So, yield to the work of God, and don’t pray your blessing away by asking God to send the trouble away.
Lord Jesus, I realize today that brokenness is a prerequisite for blessings. Help me navigate this trial and arrive at the blessing. Thank You for staying by my side throughout this journey. In Jesus’ name, amen.
DIG DEEPER
Read Luke 9:1-17HIKING THE TRAIL
Where are you on this journey? Don’t allow the devil to steal your blessing by casting doubt. Trust God to deliver the blessing.
RESOURCE
Discover the Bible’s truths about faith in Eyes of Faith: Winning the Battle Between Our Feelings and Our Faith Learn more here
Originally posted on July 13, 2020 @ 3:09 am