By First Giving Thanks, There Is Always Enough

October 4, 2011


"So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. Then He took the
seven loaves, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave
them to His disciples, who distributed the bread to the crowd. They ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food." Mark 8:6, 8

Last night my husband and I had one of our quarterly-ish budget meetings. Hashing out our finances proves almost as much fun as a root canal (no offense, honey--it's the topic of discussion, not the company!). Once again it seems we need to tighten our purse strings.

Fear and doubt become frequent (and unwanted) visitors during hard economic times. When I feel tempted to fret I must turn to the One who promises to supply all my needs (Philippians 4:19).

Each of the four gospel writers included the account of Jesus feeding 5,000-plus people with only a few loaves of bread. What I find most intriguing about this story is that by first giving thanks to God for what He had, God supplied His Son with with more than enough food to feed the crowd.

Philippians 4:6 reads, "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done."

When fear says, "You'll never have enough," God says, "Do not worry. Tell Me what you need. Thank Me for all I have done."

Matthew 6:33 reads, "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need."

When the world says, "If it's going to be it's up to me," God says, "Seek Me first. I will give you all you need."

When my husband lost his job last year my dad sent us a sizable check "just in case." Thankfully, after a few months we were able to return the check to my dad uncashed. Matthew 7:11 reminds me, "If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him." Though my earthly father loves me dearly, my heavenly Father loves me even more. Though my earthly father could afford to supply us with the resources to cover several months worth of living expenses, my heavenly Father's resources are glorious and unlimited (Ephesians 3:16).

I fail to understand how He does it. Our budget almost never works on paper but somehow we've always had more than enough.

What are you in need of today? Money? Faith? Hope? Patience? Endurance? Peace?

Seek His kingdom first. Tell Him what you need. Thank Him for what He has given. Then you'll experience more than you'll ever need.