SIT DOWN AND BE QUIET

“Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seatedas much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish,” (John 6:11 NIV).



Have you ever noticed this pattern in the gospels – the disciples get in a bind and Jesus bails them out. It reminds me of the old fifties program, Father Knows Best. The kids got in trouble, the father solved the problem and then he taught us all an important life lesson at the end. Come to think of it, “Father Knows Best” would be a fabulous subtitle for the gospels!

In John 6:1-15 we find the disciples in a precarious situation. Their lawn party had turned into quite a bash. The guests far exceeded their expectations, the disciples hadn’t planned on providing dinner, and it appeared the crowd was expecting refreshments. But the disciples didn’t have the funds or the food to feed them. All they could scrounge up were five loaves of bread and two dried fish. The crowd was getting restless, the disciples were getting nervous, and Jesus was getting ready. He took the five loaves and two fish and told the crowd to sit down – he told them to rest.

Then He lifted the food toward heaven, blessed it, and commanded the disciples to hand out the provisions to those who were seated. He didn’t feed the people who were running around worrying – but the ones who were at rest. To those He gave “immeasurably more than they could ask or imagine” (see Ephesians 3:20 , with twelve baskets left over.

When we believe God, we will have rest and peace in our lives. I want you to do something for me. Right now, I want you to use your imagination. The Bible tells us in Ephesians that we are “in Christ” and Christ is “in us.” It also tells us that we are seated “in heavenly places” and “transferred to the kingdom of Christ.” Picture yourself sitting right beside Jesus under a spreading oak tree. Perhaps His arm is around your shoulder and your head is resting on his chest. You can feel the beating of His heart against your cheek and your head moves with the rise and fall of His breathing. With His other hand, He strokes your head and immediately knows how many hairs are on your head. His breath warms your skin as it brushes past your face. Imagine Him looking into your eyes and knowing your innermost being and meeting your gaze with a warm, affirming smile reassuring you of His love and care.

Now tell me, as you imagine yourself in the presence of Jesus, how anxious do you feel? How rejected do you feel? How worried about tomorrow are you?. No matter what you are going through today, Jesus is right there with you. So maybe you just need to sit down and be quiet for a while.