“Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten.” John 6:10-13 ESV
Are you looking for a miracle? Are you wanting to see God do something absolutely amazing? What if I were to tell you that He is already doing the amazing? Have your eyes been captivated by the Spirit of Truth or are you focused on the wrong things? His Word is living. It continually reveals a God who is not just at work, but at work in us.
This God reveals Himself to a group of people on a hillside one day many years ago. They had followed Jesus and sat under His teaching all day. Now the day was drawing to a close and they were hungry. The disciples had been through some pretty intense days and were ready for this day to be over and for Jesus to send the crowds home. However, Jesus was led by compassion, not by feelings. He did not let the physical body rule the spirit man. He sought out the one who would be willing to give all that he had and offer it to Him. He finds just that in a young boy who brings his two fish, and five loaves. This lad does not just give Jesus some, but all. He holds nothing back.
Jesus takes this small offering, breaks it, and blesses it. Then He releases it to the multitudes. What we see here is that Jesus took what was offered as small as it may have seemed to be and He multiplied it. He did not multiply what was not given, only what was offered.
Upon completion of the meal, Jesus says, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” Even the overflow, the abundant supply is not to be squandered. It is to be a reminder of God’s multiplication, of how He took the little and did amazing wonders with it.
Today, I am grateful for His multiplication in my life. I have watched Him faithfully take the “loaves and fish” of my life and enlarge my offering, as He enlarges my life. I am grateful that nothing gets wasted or lost with God. So, much of my life I could chalk up to a waste, but God says, the present supply is the result of the previous “small offering of self.” I am thankful for the reminder that when we are looking for huge miracles, that I am one.