Remembering the Miracles

This story in Mark 8 may sound very familiar. In fact, it is an almost exact repeat of the miracle Jesus performed in Mark 6 where He fed over 5,000 people with only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. Here, Jesus is teaching a large crowd that has been gathered for 3 days. Jesus recognizes that they had run out of food and tells His disciples that they must feed the people before they head back on their journey home. He then fed the crowd of over 4,000 people with seven loaves and a few small fish. After distributing the bread and the fish there were 7 large baskets of leftover food. Sound familiar?

What is interesting about this story is the disciples’ reply when Jesus told them He was going to feed the crowd. The disciples replied with “how are we supposed to find enough food to feed them out here in the wilderness?” (Mark 8:4) It is not clear how much time passed between Jesus’ first feeding miracle of 5,000 and this miracle. However, how could the disciples so quickly forget that Jesus had fed 5,000 people? Moreover, they had seen Jesus perform countless miracles at this point. You would think they would be at the point where they would no longer question Jesus on how it would be possible to get something done.

It is easy for us to read this scripture and think how foolish it was for the disciples to question Jesus because we see the big picture put together by the New Testament. However, sometimes when you are so intimately involved in something it is so easy to lose sight of the big picture. We can get bogged down with worry, doubt, fear or other emotions that distract our focus. We could ask ourselves how could we doubt Jesus’ power and authority over any situation in our lives when we have not only read about the miracles Jesus performed on earth, but have also experienced His miracles in our own lives.

The miracle that Jesus performed also reminds us that He cares about even the smallest detail of our lives. Jesus was here on earth to save the world. But yet, He was concerned about the smallest and most basic need of the people that came to hear Him preach. In the same way, Jesus cares about our most basic needs. There is no need that is too small for Jesus.
In every struggle we may find ourselves in, we should be encouraged by this story and remember what Jesus has already done in our lives. He doesn’t stop performing miracles. There is no cap on how many miracles He can perform in your life. We should remember this and push away the doubt or fear that is trying to take over and not question how Jesus will be able to help with our struggle. We might not understand how He can turn a messy situation into a miracle, but the evidence is all around us that He has and will continue to do so.

Prayer: Dear Lord, we thank you for sending Your Son to save us and to remind us how you are so intimately involved in the details of our lives. We pray that you can help us to overcome any fear or doubt in any time of struggle. We thank You that You are in control of our struggles and that You have the power and authority over all situations on earth. We pray that we can be reminded of the miracles we have witnessed. We pray that you give us strength and peace to encounter any difficult situation. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.