Have you ever started to have faith, and then wavered?
In a true story of provision, this happened to one of Jesus’ disciples at the feeding of the five thousand (John 6:1-14). A great multitude of people had followed Jesus because of the miracles they saw Him perform among the sick. But as Jesus observed the people, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?”Interestingly, the Bible says Jesus asked this to test him. But Andrew spoke up instead.
“There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish…” Andrew started to have faith, but then as the words came out of his mouth, he wavered at his own thought. “…but what are they among so many?”
Does this sound familiar? It does to me. I’ve done exactly as Andrew did– stirred by faith and then as soon as I spoke it outloud, I shriveled at how crazy my words sounded. Fortunately, Andrew’s wavering didn’t lessen Jesus’ ability to perform a great miracle. In fact, He revealed three key factors of answered faith:
1. Give Thanks: Jesus took the loaves and before He did anything with them, He thanked God. We too, must always keep a thankful heart no matter what it looks like.
2. Give Generously: The disciples distributed the fish to the people “as much as they wanted” (verse 11). Even though they knew they were starting with small supplies, they were not selfish with what they had.
3. Gather What’s Left: Jesus told the disciples to be good stewards of God’s provision and not leave any to waste. This too, is an important reminder for us.
So the next time you start to have faith and catch yourself wavering, remember these three keys and act on them.
Your words, combined with your actions, may be all God needs to perform a miracle.
And one last thought…I wonder if the little boy with the loaves and fish took the leftovers home? Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put in your bosom…” (Luke 6:38).
Hmmm… that may have been another miracle!
