Devotional

"And taking the five loaves and two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied." - Mark 6:40-42

If there was an All-Star Worrying Team, I would be a shoe-in. I've been practicing my whole life. If you need me to come up with a future worst case scenario, I'm your girl. The interesting thing is that if you were keeping stats on this team, I'd be 0 for about a billion on the scenarios I've imagined actually coming to pass. I'd rack up the same stats for my surefire belief that I will melt down in the face of hardship.

In my case, the root of worry is the fear that when the proverbial other shoe drops, I will fall apart and be useless at taking care of the people He has entrusted to me. So in addition to focusing on a mythic tragedy befalling us, I zero in on my faults and my weaknesses. In looking only at my human lack, I forget the blessed, present moment He has provided. I forget that all I need to do is take the next right step today. I forget the ways in which He has proven His love to me time and time again by providing hope for just that day.

Each week when I recite the words, "give us this day our daily bread" I basically get a jolt to my memory. To me this phrase is about much more than nutritional sustenance. This is the call to focus on the provision of the Lord. This is the reminder that we need not put faith in our inadequate human will, but in the One who is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. This is an invitation to take a breath and believe that the One who calms the seas can give us exactly what we need to get through just this day. When the disciples were faced with the seemingly impossible task of feeding the masses, they simply looked at their own power and saw a future in which they would surely fail. They forgot what they had seen in their Master all along. They just needed to be reminded. He provides exactly what we need to sustain us and often times immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine. Each day. Each moment. Every single time. 

Prayer

Father, we thank you for your faithfulness. We thank you for reminding us in the words Your Son taught us that it is not by our power that we will be sustained, but by Your gracious, loving, never-ending provision. Help us to seek Your face each day and rest in the knowledge that You will give us what we need in every single moment. All praise and glory to You for the gift of this day. Amen.

Written by Jennifer Skinner, member of Arcola Church and a Texan (Texas Longhorn to be specific!) living in beautiful Virginia with her very patient, funny husband, and three very impatient, funny boys/ball players. She is also a blogger, The View From Behind Home Plate, who writes about finding extraordinary grace and blessings among the cleats and dirt and testosterone that fill her ordinary days.