Trusting God Provides
Elisha said, "Give it to the people to eat."
But his servant objected,
"How can I set this before a hundred people?"
Elisha insisted, "Give it to the people to eat."
"For thus says the LORD,
'They shall eat and there shall be some left over.'"
And when they had eaten, there was some left over,
as the LORD had said.2 Kings 4:42b-44
Have you ever been in a situation where you were asked to do something that seems physically impossible? Maybe it was trying to keep a school program running with small numbers or trying to keep the lights on without a paycheck. Maybe it was someone telling you Hang in there, this too shall pass when things seem hopeless and the tunnel dark and without end. Whatever the particulars may be, when we are in the midst of a situation that seems impossible, how do we respond? Do we throw are hands in the air and say I give up! I don’t know! or do we bring our hands together in prayer, trusting that if the Lord has allowed you to experience this, He will also bring you through it?
The multiplication of the loaves is a miracle that is well known by believers and non-believers alike. But this miracle has also happened in the Old Testament. When told there were only 20 barley loaves, Elisha told the servants to give it to the people and that there will be leftovers. It’s quite interesting because it seems like there is some competition here — Elisha with 20 barley loaves and 100 people and Jesus with 5 loaves and thousands! But of course the number and quantity is not what is important here. Elisha trusted that God will provide and He did. Jesus trusted that His Father will provide and He did. The one thing different with Jesus is that He is the Bread of Life come down from heaven Himself. They trusted that God will provide and He did.
There is also another dimension to this. Where did the bread come from? The people. The people brought the loaves to Elisha and Jesus. It was the offering of the people and Elisha and Jesus blessed and brought before God. Similarly at Mass, where does the bread come from that the priest blesses? The offertory, when the people bring up the gifts. Imagine that for a second. We give to the priest small, thin pieces of wheat flour and water and in turn we receive the Bread of Life! We give to God was seems menial, and He in turns gives us Himself! God does not ask us to offer up something big and grandiose, but whatever we can and whatever is in our hearts. For the people, five loaves and two fish were all they could give, and God in turned transformed that into more than enough. When we find ourselves in situations that seem impossible or hopeless, we only need to give to God whatever we can muster up, and God will use that to show us the light at the end of the tunnel. Even if it is a simple, pure, and authentic, I need You, Lord and I trust in You! God will transform that prayer into life.
Trust that the Lord hears you. Trust that the Lord will provide. Trust that He loves you.
