IN THE HANDS OF GOD

John 6:11 “Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.”

When I hold a basketball in my hands, it’s merely a basketball, but when you place that same basketball in the hands of Kobe Bryant, it turns into championships. Put a golf club in any of our hands, and it’s merely a golf club, but when you place that same golf club in the hands of Tiger Woods, it turns him into the best golfer in the world. A paintbrush in my hands might result in a pretty good picture if it’s paint by numbers, but when a paintbrush was placed in the hands of Renoir, it turned into incredible works of art. A gun placed in the hands of a hunter is a tool used for sport or obtaining food, but when placed in the hands of a terrorist, that same gun becomes a weapon of destruction. How is it that the same instruments and the same tools can bring about such differing degrees of results? Quite simply, it depends upon who is holding them and how they’re being used.

Our scripture is an excellent example of what can happen and how things can be used when we place them in the hands of God. The scene is a grassy meadow near Bethsaida across the Sea of Galilee from Capernaum. Jesus has been preaching and healing the sick much of the day. He has retreated in order to get some rest and recharge his batteries, but when he looks up, the crowd has followed him. He turns to Philip, because this is Philip’s old stomping grounds, “Where can we buy bread for these people?” Somewhat quizzically, Philip replies, “Don’t you understand that it would take more than 6 months’ wages to buy bread for all these people?” He knew that Jesus was kind and thoughtful, but even for Jesus, this was out there. All of a sudden Andrew shows up, “Hey guys, there’s a little boy here who has 5 barley loaves and two fish.”

Besides it being a miracle, what’s the significance of Jesus taking 5 barley loaves and two fish and feeding 5,000 people? The significance is that it illustrates for us what can happen when we place ourselves in the hands of God.

Don’t think what you have is insignificant or can’t be used. Too often we think, “There’s nothing God can do with me.” God didn’t expect that boy to have enough to feed the 5,000. He only expected the boy to place it in his hands, and leave the rest up to God. This applies to all aspects of our lives. Not only does God want you to place your gifts and energy and talent in his hands, he wants you to place your pain as well. Many times we cling to our grief, we cling to our bitterness, and we cling to our anger in such a way that we cripple ourselves. Just as God wants to take the offering of our barley loaves and fish and multiply it, he also wants to take what’s eating away at our souls, robbing us of the joy in our lives, and do away with it; for much as when you place a basketball in the hands of Michael Jordan, it turns into greatness, when you place your life, including your pain, in the hands of God, he will also turn it into greatness.

When you place your life in God’s hands, expect incredible things to happen. No one expected anything from those five barley loaves and two fish. It just goes to show the incredible places of growth, healing, and nourishment that become ours when we place ourselves in the hands of God.