Luke 9:12-17
Find a place and time free of distractions for the next 7-10 minutes. Take a moment to settle into your surroundings and then begin to recognize your breath. As you breathe in, call on the name of Jesus and become aware of his presence with you. As you breathe out, open your mind and heart to receive whatever Jesus has for you today.
Read Luke 9:12-17 imagining yourself as either part of the crowd listening to Jesus or as one of the twelve disciples.
The disciples are privileged to travel with Jesus and absorb his life and teaching in the ordinary and random moments of life. The disciples are living in spiritual abundance in the daily presence of Jesus. But for the masses to hear Jesus, they have to seek him out, and their souls are so hungry that once they find him they stay all day listening to him ignoring physical discomfort for the sake of spiritual food.
As the day wears on and the disciples’ stomachs beginning to growl, they feel the need to point out the fact that food and lodging are in short supply in this remote area. These are the same disciples who have seen Jesus restore sick and broken bodies, raise the dead, and command nature and demonic forces. But through the lens of their own weariness and hunger, they can only see scarcity.
It’s difficult to think about abundance when we are experiencing a physical, material, or emotional lack, but think back to a time when you were keenly aware of a deficit in your circumstances (It might be that you are in that situation now) and instead of focusing on the situation, focus on the ways Jesus supplied your needs in the past. As thoughts come to mind, share them with Jesus.
Read Luke 9:12-17 again imagining the thoughts and feelings of the disciples as the food multiplies right before their eyes.
The disciples had gone out in the name of Jesus and with his authority to heal people and break the chains of demonic oppression, and they had come back full of success stories to tell Jesus. But now when he tells them to feed an enormous crowd, they can’t think of anything to do. They are focused on the scarcity of food and are not even aware that the source of everything is standing there with them.
Jesus patiently cares for the crowd turning a meager amount of food into a multiplying feast. And after they serve the crowd, the disciples all end up with an entire basket of food for themselves. They won’t fully understand the meaning of all of this until after Jesus’ death and resurrection, but in fact, Jesus has just blessed the families of Israel through his twelve disciples and they have received an abundance of blessing in return.
Sit quietly with Jesus for at least a full minute and listen to him.
What do you sense Jesus saying to you through this story of provision and abundance?
What do you need to do in response?
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