I’ve lived in places that have so many food choices that you could discuss the choices of where to eat well into the night until you have passed out from hunger. I don’t know if you and your friends and family go through this, but we do. When it comes time to eat we ask each other, “So, where do you want to go?” The rest of us reply, “I don’t know, where do you want to eat?” The other one says, “I honestly don’t care, I could eat anything.” The last to speak says without looking up from texting, “That doesn’t help us.” So the initiator of the group says, “Ok guys I’ll throw some things out there … what about Mexican, seafood, Italian, sandwiches, Chinese, hamburgers.” Silence, with a few far away stares, looking as if they are close to sharing the perfect place to make everyone happy, then a few “hummm let’s see,” while rubbing the chin. The rest wait and don’t even try … but when someone finally makes a decision everyone suddenly feels very strongly on the matter. The ‘I don’t care’ people are suddenly very critical of all choices mentioned. The decision maker says “ok, let’s do Mexican, we all love Mexican.” The agreeable pipe up and say, “Well, that’s fine, but I just had it yesterday — which place? It’s fine, I can still do it if we go to a different Mexican place.” Leader suggest, “No, well maybe Pizza — and just take it home and get a Redbox?” The others, “Maybe pizza, but from where?” The group, “I don’t care — as long as it isn’t Papa Johns.” First time speaker, “I like Pizza Hut thin crust, but I don’t want their mushrooms lately — too slimy.” Conflict person says, “No, I don’t like Pizza Hut anymore. I could go with anywhere except them, and little Caesars, no Little Caesars.” Leader, “Ok let’s forget the pizza then.” The indifferent texter says, “Well, I’m not even hungry anymore.” Leader says, “Well I am! I’m starving!” The peacemaker says, “Ok seriously, where should we go, where will we all be happy?? Chili’s?” Silent looks, but no torpedo’s yet. Ok — “so no one is saying no … so we are going to Chili’s? I think I’m excited about this — let’s go.” “I do always love Chili’s. But which one? Indifferent texter friend, “Ughhhh !!!! “I’m just going home and having a bowl of cereal.”
This is what you call a “first world problem!” Not many countries have this conversation when it comes to mealtime. Jesus asked Philip where they could get some food in John 6:1-15 for the thousands of people who have come to hear Jesus speak that day. This was a rather strange question for him to ask because there were no choices. The situation they had was there was no place to eat and no one had any food and everyone was hungry. It was a pretty big deal when you have a musical festival sized crowd on your hands and you have no food trucks or Porta Pottys available. This could be an out-of-control scene, but Jesus didn’t seem the least bit concerned … because he wasn’t. He asked his disciples to go see what food they could find from the crowd. Andrew brought a little kid to Jesus and said, “Well, I found this kid and he has a sack lunch he’s willing to share.” Jesus was pleased. He took it, blessed it and fed all the thousands of people who had come to see Jesus in concert. They ate until they were full and had tons of leftovers. Jesus was never concerned because he said to the disciples “I’ve got this.”
Every time we worry and every time we have a need, we cry out to God and ask, what in the world am I going to do? Why don’t we instead discuss the situation with Him, tell Him we know he is going to take care of it? We have seen over and over in His word and in our lives that he say to us, “I’ve got this!” So, when faced with a new challenge Jesus wants us to reflect on the last work he has done in our lives, so we remember that he’s got this one too!
Just Jesus,
Sheri Langley
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