“Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward Him.” (John 6:5)

Newly transplanted to Houston in 1989, Scott and I somehow managed to get volunteered to lead the preschool choir in our large Baptist church. “You can do it,” we were told. “You sing in the adult choir, you have a preschooler of your own, and, Debbie, you were a teacher” (well, college “kids”). 

And then we saw them...a (seeming) horde of preschoolers we had not only to corral but also keep quiet enough to give some level of instruction. We felt like quitting.

I think the disciples, tired from some long days of ministry, must have felt like throwing up their hands in defeat, too, when Jesus suggested they feed the 5,000+ strong crowd. “With what?”

Overwhelmed at how little our “experience” mattered, Scott and I gathered resources from the music director and muddled our way through another Wednesday night “practice,” a term I use loosely since it involved a gaggle of four-year olds. Still frustrated, we finally turned to the One who could powerfully use what little resources we had. “Forget the prior teaching experience or adult choir techniques,” God seemed to say. “Focus on your love for the kids.” Once we prayerfully gave that resource to Him to use, leading preschool choir became fun. Why didn’t we start with prayer?

Without enough money to buy food for the crowd, the disciples gathered the few resources available, obviously skeptical that a boy’s lunch would dent this enormous need: “How far will [these two fish and five small loaves] go?” (6:9) But...they gave what they had to Jesus.

For us, for the disciples, Jesus wants to reveal the limitations of our abilities. Yes, Scott and I had abilities, and the disciples found some food. But here’s what we and, I assume, the disciples learned: No matter how small, our talents and resources are more powerful in Jesus’ hands.

Furthermore, what seems a problem - All those preschoolers! This enormous crowd! - Jesus sees as opportunity.  Would Scott and I be willing to serve the preschool choir instead of boosting our self-esteem by producing amazing little voices? Would the disciples be willing to serve the crowd instead of looking out for their own rest and hunger?

Each disciple left with a basketful of food, a vivid souvenir of Jesus’ power to magnify their inadequate resources. Our time with the choir left just as vivid a memory, and when I find myself relying on my own abilities again, God gently brings this episode back into focus.

Think of a problem you’re currently dealing with. Is it possible God means it as an opportunity for Him to use your resources, multiply them, and turn your difficulty into blessing? 

If you’d like to read or re-read the overview/summary of this week’s passage, you can find it here.