The lad whom God used - John 6:1-14

January is gone and we are into February.  Another reminder that time waits for no man. The prudent makes hay while it still shines. Christians need to do all we can to see the gospel gets to the unreached as we see the day approaching.

In John 6:1-14, we read the familiar story of Jesus feeding the five thousand. God used a little lad to feed the five thousand. I was meditating on this last week and a few the Holy Spirit reminded  me of the following thoughts:

This boy came prepared to hear Jesus.

You see he came prepared with his lunch. That means he was prepared to stay the whole day with Jesus and he did not want hunger to be a distraction. Hence he five loaves and the two fishes for himself, may to ear it even for dinner. A little boy at that age, found Jesus so fascinating, that he was prepared to hear him the whole day. Sometimes in our busy lifestyles, we hardly have any time to read God's word, let alone, hear what the Spirit has to say. Our cell phones are always besides us even in times of prayer. We don;t want to miss an import an call or a message and how many times we refer to the messages whir in prayer. I think God deceives better than that. Let the time we spent which Him be without any distractions. This little lad came so prepared to hear Jesus the whole day.

This boy was insignificant.

"Here is a boy".  We do not know his name or his parents. Nothing of his personal information is mentioned. Yet he became the conduit to a great miracle. It reminds us that many times God uses the nobodies to fulfil His purposes and mission. There were more than 5000 people there but God used this boy to perform one of the greatest miracle. The Bible is full of such incidents where the poor, unknown  and feeble were used to do nightly exploits for the kingdom. God used a little slave girl to reach a mighty army general Namman. That's why Paul tell us in 1 Cor 1:27 -But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

The thing the boy had was even more insignificant.

"Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” Even the disciples thought it was insignificant and cannot be used in a situation like that. The need is so great. What can this five loaves and two fishes do in a situation like this? Moses said the same thing. But God asked him, "What is in your hand" (Ex 4:2). God can even use the donkey to speak on His behalf or command the stones to sing forth His praise. How much more can God can use you and me. It was one stone in the sling of David, that brought down Goliath. What is in your hand? Maybe its insignificant to you but if we include God in the equation, there is no telling how many lives will be impacted as a result. 

I am sure there were others in the multitude of five thousand, who might have brought their own food as well. Maybe they only thought about themselves or their spouses and family or could it be none else came really prepared to be with Jesus?

This lad gave his all to Jesus

Why did God use this lad for his miracle? I thick the answer is that this boy gave all that he had to the miracle worker. He would have been fully justified if he had kept some for himself. After all it was his. But this boy gave all he had and that became a miracle that touched more than five thousand people. Even today, after two thousand years, people still talk about this lad. Today God is looking for people, no matter who they are, who are willing to be totally should out for him. People who are willing to give their all to Jesus. The miracle is just waiting to happen for those who will lay all on the alter of sacrifice. 

O we never can know

What the Lord will bestow

Of the blessings for which we have prayed,

Till our body and soul

He doth fully control,

And our all on the altar is laid.

Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid?

Your heart does the Spirit control?

You can only be blest,

And have peace and sweet rest,

As you yield Him your body and soul.