12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
The crowds had been satisfied when Jesus issued the following command to His disciples in our verses for today: "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." It is comforting to know that our God is not a God of waste – He does not waste bread fragments, He does not waste our experiences, He does not waste the broken pieces of our lives – He wastes nothing even our flaws and dismal failures. Instead, He miraculously weaves together all things in His children’s lives – even our poor choices allowed by His permissive will - into a beautiful tapestry which brings glory to Him. Out of our darkest experiences the brightest light can dawn for those who love Him. That is the glorious promise of Scripture which Paul penned in Romans:
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 (NIV)
“Could you ask for a better promise? It is better that all things should work for my good than all things should be as I would wish to have them. All things might work for my pleasure and yet might all work my ruin. If all things do not always please me, they will always benefit me. This is the best promise of this life.” Charles Haddon Spurgeon
God works for His children’s good as we gather the broken pieces of our lives and give them back to Him. For the child of the King, our pain is never wasted as it always has purpose.
"Somehow in the wonder-working providence of God, our worst problems become our best pulpits. God turns our tragedies into testimonies and our emergencies into evangelism. Our testimonies are forged and crafted in the trials of life, our pain has an evangelistic purpose, our problems become His pulpits, and the things that happen to us turn out for the furtherance of the gospel." Robert Morgan
The story of Joseph is a wonderful case in point. He began as a dreamer of God’s dreams with a bit of an attitude, sold into slavery by his “dear” jealous brothers, falsely accused by Potiphar’s wanton wife, sentenced to prison on trumped up charges, forgotten by the cupbearer of the King after rightly interpreting his dream yet not forgotten by God. In a day’s time God took Joseph from prison cell to second highest in command over all Egypt. God used 17 years to mold His vessel for the work He had prepared in advance for Joseph to do. Joseph gathered the pieces of his broken pride, his slavery experience, his false accusations, his prison sentence, and his interpretations of dreams and gave them all to God who all the while had been fashioning him to do the job he was now equipped to do. Indeed, his attitude was marked by such an unwavering trust in God’s providence that when his brothers were rightly fearful of what he would do to them his response was as follows:
18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. "We are your slaves," they said. 19 But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21 So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. Gen 50:18-21 (NIV)
Lastly, our verses for today demonstrate to us how God can take our meager sacrifices and turn them into abundance. With the young lad’s giving of two small fish and five little loaves God fed 5000 + with twelve baskets leftover. I am reminded of King David’s words in Psalm 37:
25 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. 26 They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed. Psalms 37:25-26 (NIV)
Again, we find the following truth through the Psalmist Asaph’s pen:
10 I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. Psalms 81:10 (NIV)
Our satisfaction and sufficiency lies in God and God alone – God’s bounty being always large as He never stints in His giving. Until we are able to grasp that Truth we will always find ourselves wanting no matter how much of the world’s temporal treasures we may possess. Our Maker knows how we are made (duh!) and therefore knows our every need – emotional, physical and spiritual and it is His desire to overflow our cups with Him – everything else is so second place. Jesus’ Words in Matthew come to mind:
25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matt 6:25-34 (NIV)