One is More Than Enough

This past week I heard a sermon taken from Mark 8. The preacher talked about how, for the second time, Jesus fed the multitudes with only a few loaves of bread. Afterword we find:

Mark 8:14-21 (King James Version)

 ¹⁴Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf.
 ¹⁵And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.
 ¹⁶And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread.
 ¹⁷And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened?
 ¹⁸Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?
 ¹⁹When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve.
 ²⁰And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.
 ²¹And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?

He gently reminded them of the miracles that they had so quickly and easily forgotten. Jesus was not angry at the twelve for their failure to remember. He who created us knew that it is part of our nature. He gently called to their attention their own lack of faith in thinking that He could not provide for them. We often lightly look at the disciples and think, "How foolish! I would have remembered!" The problem is, although we have these works recorded for us in the Bible, and we see God work in our own lives daily, we do forget.

We get so caught up in the cares of this world that we lose trust. We look at our bills and the economy and wonder, "God, how are you going to do it?" How easily we have forgotten that He owns the cattle on a thousand hills! If He can provide water from a rock and manna in the desert, can He not also meet our needs today?

I myself needed that reminder this week. As a mother, I worry more about money and things because I love my children and want to make sure they are taken care of. Of course, God didn't promise to give us cable TV, but He did give his word that we would not want for food or raiment. This is my favorite verse in the Bible:

Ephesians 3:20 (King James Version)

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,

Instead of worrying that they only had one loaf, the disciples should have been joyful knowing that with God's power, one was more than enough. Fortunately, we can look back and learn from them. The next time we worry, we should pray with confidence because our Heavenly Father cares for us as we care for our own children. He can take our loaf, and turn it into more than we'd ever thought possible!