Can you remember a prophet in the Old Testament named ‘Elisha’? There was a time when there was a serious famine in Israel at a place called ‘Gilgal’. The famine was so serious that people ‘unknowingly’ cooked POISONOUS plant that seems edible just to survive as there was no food in the land. (2kings 4:39) Now, there was a time that 100 men were with Elisha in Gilgal…’hungry’.
Are you in a situation where you need God’s intervention against the famine in your life, marriage, career or ministry? You are about to see Jesus’ super-abounding Grace in that area. The Bible says:
‘…Then a man came from Baal Shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley bread, and newly ripened grain in his knapsack…’ (2kings 4:42)
In the midst of the hunger, a man came around to ‘bless’ Elisha with…
– 20 loaves of barley bread
– a knapsack of fresh grains
Now note that this food that was brought can only feed about 5 people conveniently! But we have 100 people ready to devour this meal! Let’s assume it takes 5 loaves of bread to feed one person conveniently… That means it will take 500 loaves of bread to feed 100 people conveniently. So Elisha will have to multiply the 20 loaves of bread available by 25 times…if he must have 500 loaves of bread to feed these hundred ‘hungry’ souls!!! Hope the mathematics wasn’t cumbersome? Elisha said to one of his servants…
‘…. “GIVE IT TO THE PEOPLE, that they may EAT…’ (2kings 4:42)
Wow. In other words…give a meal meant for 5 people to 100 people! The quick response of the servant was as anticipated. He replied with an ‘exclamation mark’!
‘…But his servant said, “What? Shall I set this before one hundred men?…! (2kings 4:43)
Oh…oh! The servant was conscious of the challenge…instead of the SUPER-ABOUNDING GRACE that was ready to manifest! This is similar to how many of us react in this present economy!
‘…how will I feed my family with this little income…’?
‘…how can I pursue my career with a menial job…’?
‘…how do I gain admission to the university, when my marks couldn’t reach the cut-off…’?
‘…how do I meet the present needs with these scarce resources’?
Are you in such situation in your life presently? A situation where you are exclaiming like Elisha’s servant:
‘… “What? Shall I set this before one hundred men?.…! (2kings 4:43)
I want you to know you have a God called ABBA FATHER! The same way He saved you GRACIOUSLY, …He will still provide for your every need GRACIOUSLY! Hear what Elisha replied his servant. The Bible says:
‘…He said again, “Give it to the people, that they may eat; for thus says the LORD: ‘They shall eat
and HAVE SOME LEFT OVER!” (2kings 4:43)
Wow! In other words, there will be a SUPER ABOUNDING supply of Grace in that very challenge! So what happened? Oh I love the next verse!
‘… So he set it before them; AND THEY ATE AND HAD SOME LEFTOVER, according to the word of the LORD…’ (2kings 4:44)
Wow! (I had to take a little break while typing now…to worship)! Isn’t our God Gracious?When I read the Old Testament, and I see God Graciously performing wonders, I start thinking: If this could happen in the Old Testament where the people were under the covenant of the blood of bulls and goats… How much more will it happen now that I’m in the New Testament sealed with the blood of Jesus!!!
Wow! Now what picture of Jesus in the New Testament can we coin out from this Elisha’s story? I’m sure you know it already! Elisha only had 100 people to feed! But this time around, Jesus had 5000 men to feed! Oh my my my..!!! Elisha had 20 loaves of bread to feed 100 people! But Jesus had only 5 loaves of bread to feed 5000 people! In the case of Elisha…since he had only 20 loaves of bread available…what he needed here was to multiply it 25 times …in order to feed the 100 people! But in this case of Jesus… since he had only 5 loaves of bread available…what he needed here was to multiply it 5000 times …in order to feed the 5000 people! (another praise-break please)!
Can you see the picture??? One thing I love about this story is that it was not only the servant of Elisha who had THE GIFT OF RENDERING OF ‘EXCLAMATION MARKS’ to impossible situations! The disciples of Jesus also had this gift working in their life!
Elisha’s servant said: ‘… “What? Shall I set this before one hundred men?.…! (2kings 4:43)
Jesus’ disciple said: ‘…There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish,…WHAT ARE THEY (5loaves) AMONG SO MANY (5000 men)?…’! (John 6:9)
But GRACE forgives the doubt….and answers the smallest FAITH! Oh how difficult it is for us to see God’s SUPER ABOUNDING GRACE in the midst of our challenges!We tend to be carried away by the largeness of a challenge… instead of the super abounding provision of our ABBA FATHER!Wow!
Now listen carefully: whenever you notice a challenge in your life…always remember that Jesus is right there with you WITH ‘A MULTIPLE OF 5000’ SOLUTION to that very challenge! That’s my Jesus for you!
‘… Now unto him that is able to do EXCEEDING ABUNDANTLY ABOVE all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us…’ (Eph. 3:20)
Exceeding….means super abounding! Abundantly….means super abounding!! Above…. means super abounding!!! That’s Jesus for you! Always SUPER ABOUNDING towards to you no matter the challenge you are going through!
How then did this story end? In the case of Elisha… after the people ate so much to satisfaction…the Bible says:
‘…AND THEY ATE AND HAD SOME LEFTOVER, according to the word of the LORD…’ (2kings 4:44)
They had ‘some’ left over… That sounds coo, right? ‘…some left over…’ But in this case of Jesus, the Bible reveals that after the 5000 people were fully fed,…
‘…therefore they gathered them up, and filled 12 BASKETS with the fragments of the five barley
loaves which were LEFT OVER by those who had eaten…’ (John 6:13)
Wow! 12 BASKETS LEFT OVER!!! I prefer the 12 Baskets left over of the New Covenant to the ‘some left over’ of the Old Covenant! That is my Jesus for you! Hallelujah!
In conclusion: please always remember that no matter what the present economic situation of the country might be… Jesus is right there with you WITH ‘A MULTIPLE OF 5000’ SOLUTION to that very challenge! Your Abba Father is saying to you:
‘…I am able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always HAVING ALL SUFFICIENCY IN ALL THINGS, may abound to every good work…’ (2Cor 9:8)
Glory to Jesus! Therefore, rest in the super-abounding Grace of your Abba Father.
Amen.
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