Last Sunday, I took a few notes, being inspired for this post. The idea was, God doesn’t give us everything we need, so we will need him. Our pastor used the miracle of the loaves and fishes to illustrate. (Mark 8:2-9, another instance in Matthew 14:15-20)

Let me pull out a few key points. In Mark, the disciples were faced with an impossible situation. There was no way they could accomplish what Jesus wanted. Yet, Jesus had expectations. He had a plan that he knew they were incapable of completing without him. He was part of the plan, but it was the disciples he assigned to execute the plan. Jesus asked, “How much… do you have?”

This wasn’t the first time they had been put in this position. In the reference in Matthew, Jesus tells the disciples, “You can give them something…” They answered, “But all we have is…” Jesus was teaching them to start with what you have, partner with God, and you will see amazing things happen.

The Old Testament has examples of this concept as well. Read here about Moses:

But Moses protested again, “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you’?” Then the Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?”

From Exodus 4:1-5 (NLT)

And here about a widow:

Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord, but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” And Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.”

From 2 Kings 4:1-7 (ESV)

In each of these stories the thought is: I have nothing. I am not enough. What God is saying is: “You have me. I am enough.”

But he answered me, “My grace is always more than enough for you, and my power finds its full expression through your weakness.” So I will celebrate my weaknesses, for when I’m weak I sense more deeply the mighty power of Christ living in me.

2 Corinthians 12:9

I had to take a break from writing this post and go to an appointment. On my way home, I heard this song and knew it was from the Lord. Bring It All Jason Gray. I didn’t know Jason Gray stuttered, yet God uses him to sing and write beautiful songs. I think Jason knew what he had to offer wasn’t enough, but he knew what God was calling him to and offered what he had.

This next song actually showed up on my radar yesterday. Palm of Your Hand (feat. Harvest) TRIBL Music. I hope you take time to listen to both of these. I had two scriptures already on my heart for this blog. Here they are:

Look here. I have made you a part of Me, written you on the palms of My hands…

From Isaiah 49:16 (VOICE)

And I give them eternal life, and they will never, ever [by any means] perish; and no one will ever snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater and mightier than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

John 10:28-29 (AMP)

I imagine God in heaven looking at what he wants to accomplish, then asking himself, “Hmm. What do I have in my hand?” Then looking into the palm of his hand, he sees you or me and says, “Ah. Just what I was looking for.”

I may not be enough in my own eyes, but God sees in me just what he needs for what he wants to accomplish. I pray I will always say, “Here Lord, this is what I have. Can you do something with it?”

What do you have in your hand?

Grace & Peace,

Sandy

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay