In John chapter 6 verse 10, we’re told that Jesus asked His disciples to instruct the crowd to be seated in the grassy field. And Mark’s gospel gives us the additional information that Jesus wanted the people to be seated in groups of fifties and hundreds. And Mark also takes the time to specifically tell us that they did as instructed.
Now, John 6:10 is easy to skip over on our way to the main event. But there’s no “filler” in the Bible. God never wastes words. And the importance of the principle contained here cannot be overstated. Jesus was setting the stage for a miracle. And if you think you might ever need one of those, pay attention.
He was preparing for the organized distribution of a large quantity of food. He was about to supernaturally multiply five loaves and two fish to feed 5,000 men plus women and children. But He was the only One who knew that. No one else there that day had ANY idea what was about to happen.
Just stop and think about that. The Disciples and the hungry crowd obeyed Jesus without even the slightest understanding of why He was asking or how their compliance could have anything to do with the meeting of their need.
And that’s the point. They did what He said simply because He said it. That’s what faith is ALL about: Trust-filled obedience. And displays of God’s miraculous power are nearly always preceded by an act of faith that rarely seems to be relevant to the need. Like when Jesus directed the servants at the wedding in Cana to fill six pots with water and take them to the master of the feast. They could NEVER have guessed that water would become wine. But their simple obedience facilitated an amazing miracle.
Or like the time, I responded to a very vague prompting I thought might be from the Lord. I was just folding the laundry at home one day when I sensed He was asking me to reach out to a young couple I’d heard about but hadn’t yet met and ask if they’d be interested in allowing me to mentor them in ministry. There was no way I could have known the miracle Jesus was setting up. At that time, I had no idea that my wife and I would soon be embarking on a new season of ministry assignment. And with the small step of obedience I exercised in contacting that couple, the Lord was arranging what became the miraculously smooth transition of pastoral leadership our church experienced when they succeeded me and my wife as senior pastors just eighteen months later.
Listen. If you need a miracle today, stop worrying about how in the world God is going to feed the multitudes. Instead, start looking for the nearest divine command you can obey. And if you draw a blank, consider opening the Bible, it’s full of them. Your step of child-like obedience, whatever it looks like to you, will place in the Lord’s hands the loaves and fishes He can work with to do something wonderful.