Devotionals by Dr. M. Craig Barnes
Where are we to get enough bread in the desert to feed so great a crowd? --
This is the question that the disciples asked when Jesus indicated he wanted to feed four thousand people. Normally, the question would make sense. But the way Matthew tells the story, this happened not many days after Jesus had miraculously fed five thousand people. It was as if the disciples were saying, "Sure he can feed five thousand, but can he feed four thousand?" So the question doesn't make sense after all. No, but it is believable.
As strange as it sounds, we have a lot of trouble believing in "the smaller miracle." Most of us don't have that much difficulty believing that God created the heavens and the earth, but we certainly have our doubts that he is still creating a good work in our lives. We don't really doubt that the Savior Jesus was raised from the dead, but we just struggle to believe that he can pull us out of our tombs of despair and heartache. To put it more accurately, we believe God could save our lives but we doubt he will.
When you limit God's miracles to the bigger events, you are essentially saying that he is not really God, but only another distant force of nature. To truly believe in him is to believe that he is the Savior of your life. If you believe God wants the sun to stay in the sky, then does it really make sense to doubt that he also wants to bring the light of salvation to you?
-- Craig Barnes