Mar 6:39-40 Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties.
As Jesus stood before as many as 10,000 people and learnt that only 5 loaves and 2 fish were available to fulfil the task he must have had to dig deep in faith!
My friends, John and Alex Kpikpi in Ghana, experienced a similar challenge when they pu
t down a deposit for a substantial piece of land on which they wanted to develop a church building and other facilities. They knew the cost and they knew that they did not have the necessary amount of money to complete the purchase in only a few days. However, they moved forward in faith, not presumption, because they had sought God and knew he would provide. And he did! On the day before they had to complete they received three separate cash gifts totalling US$750 (which was not the normal currency) – and John knew that none of the donors was aware of the need. Once exchanged into cedes, the local currency, the total exceeded by 20% what they thought they needed. However, when they made the final payment the ‘excess’ was required in a way not anticipated – for completion of the legalities of the transfer of ownership. God had indeed provided!
There is now a vibrant church on that site, a second site has been purchased for the school and new churches are being started in other West African nation – Nigeria, Liberia, Togo, Benin, Guinea, Sierra Leone – as a direct result of God honouring their faith and his servants being found trustworthy.
As Jesus heard of the ridiculous inadequacy of the available resources to meet the need I am sure he rejoiced in his heart as he ‘dug deep’. He did not let circumstances throw him off-course but saw this as a fresh opportunity for the disciples to experience faith in action. Those responsible for administration must be people of faith, not just ‘do it’ people.
Learning point:
Planning and faith are essential and complementary components of any project.