A basketball in my hands is worth about $19.
A basketball in Michael Jordan’s hands is worth about $33 million.
It depends on whose hands it’s in…
A baseball in my hands is worth about $6.
A baseball in Mark McGuire’s hands is worth $19 million.
It depends on whose hands it’s in…
A tennis racket is useless in my hands.
A tennis racket in Pete Sampras’ hands is a Wimbledon Championship.
It depends on whose hands it’s in…
A rod in my hands will keep away a wild animal.
A rod in Moses’ hands will part the mighty sea.
It depends on whose hands it’s in…
A sling shot in my hands is a kid’s toy.
A sling shot in David’s hand is a mighty weapon.
It depends on whose hands it’s in…
Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in my hands is a couple of fish sandwiches.
Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in God’s hands will feed thousands.
It depends on whose hands they’re in…
Nails in my hands might produce a birdhouse.
Nails in Christ Jesus’ hands will produce salvation for the entire world.
It depends on whose hands they’re in…
As you see now it depends whose hands it’s in.
So put your concerns, your worries, your fears, your hopes, your dreams, your families and your relationships in God’s Hands.
Because, it depends on whose hands they’re in.
—Paul Ciniraj (a missionary in India)
Whose hands are we putting our resources and treasure into. What might seem insignificant in our hands and only capable of achieving little to nothing, when placed into the hands of God can yield results that will blow your mind.
John 6:2-9 (GW)
2 A large crowd followed him because they saw the miracles that he performed for the sick. 3 Jesus went up a mountain and sat with his disciples. 4 The time for the Jewish Passover festival was near.
5 As Jesus saw a large crowd coming to him, he said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 Jesus asked this question to test him. He already knew what he was going to do.
7 Philip answered, “We would need about a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each of them to have a piece.”
8 One of Jesus’ disciples, Andrew, who was Simon Peter’s brother, told him, 9 “A boy who has five loaves of barley bread and two small fish is here. But they won’t go very far for so many people.”
There are so many lessons we can gather from this passage of scripture, where Jesus feeds the five thousand, but today I want to focus on a character in this scripture that we often just brush by. You see this little boy with the five loaves of bread and two small fish gives us some valuable lessons on what it means to surrender to God.
1.What seems insignificant in your hands
In the midst of a crises, how do we react? When life’s challenges flood us and we don’t know what to do, where do we turn to?
In our scripture, the disciples are put into a situation, they are with Jesus and there is a multitude that is following Jesus, and so the question is asked :” Where can we buy bread to feed these people?” And Philip responds and says we need about a year’s wages to buy enough bread to feed these people.
In essence what Phillip was saying, Lord we cannot provide for these people, it is beyond us and our means. In Mark’s account of the feeding of the five thousand, we see the disciples telling Jesus to send the people away so that they can go buy food, and Jesus responds by telling the disciples that they should feed them.
When our faith gets tested, how do we respond? Many times, in life we face the same challenges that the disciples faced that day, (maybe not having to feed an army) but we question whether what we have to offer to God is really worth it.
This little boy that had the five bread and two fish, it seemed insignificant to the disciples, it seemed a useless effort, because mathematically it was impossible for this to be able to feed such a huge crowd. But when we begin to trust in God, and put what we deem of no value.
Luke 18:27 (GW)
Jesus said, “The things that are impossible for people to do are possible for God to do.”
What might seem insignificant and of no value in our hands, God can work wonders. We might not see the miracle in our hands, but when God places his blessing and approval on it, miracles happen. God can use what seems foolish, and a failure, what seems worthless to bring glory to him. With God nothing is insignificant.
1 Corinthians 1:27-28 (GW)
27 But God chose what the world considers nonsense to put wise people to shame. God chose what the world considers weak to put what is strong to shame. 28 God chose what the world considers ordinary and what it despises—what it considers to be nothing—in order to destroy what it considers to be something.
The widow in Mark 12, gave all that she had, her offering might have seemed insignificant and of no value to man, but when given in surrender and obedience will yield results beyond your wildest imagination. Ultimately, it’s about surrendering what’s in your hands into the hands of our master, Jesus Christ.
2.Willingness to surrender
When we think of this little boy, we think that he is insignificant in the story. And sometimes we forget totally that it was this little boy, that provided what was needed so that Jesus could be glorified.
What would have happened if the boy said no? Surely that was food for him or maybe even for his family who were waiting at home. But whatever the case is, this little boy had the fish and bread with him. He was part of the crowd that was following Jesus, so he would have been listening to the teachings and seeing the miracles of Jesus the entire time.
And here he comes face to face with reality, he is about to be part of one of the greatest miracles that Jesus did. How would we react in that situation? Very often we are one step away from seeing the hand of God move, but we do not push through.
The problem lies, in the issue of being totally surrendered. When I talk about total surrender, I am talking about surrendering, whatever the cost. This boy was willing to sacrifice what could possibly have been his only meal or that of his family. But he was willing to put it into the hands of God.
Whose hands are we putting our resources in today. Very often we tend to rather put it in our hands because we are afraid, we trust what we can see, feel, hear & taste, rather than having faith in God.
We need to bring what we have to God in total surrender and allow him to be God. I am sure that neither Andrew, Phillip nor the little boy, could have ever imagined that this what this boy gave to Jesus would be enough to feed such a multitude.
Luke 6:38 (NKJV)
38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Ultimately friends, it is about surrendering what little we might have, into the hands of an almighty God. God uses what we place into his hands irrespective of how insignificant it might seem to us.
God delivered the Israelites from captivity, he used a couple to create a nation as the number of sands on the seashore, a slingshot to bring down a giant & five loaves and two fish to feed a multitude. Even when the odds where stacked against them. Even when it seemed like there was no hope. All because someone was willing to surrender.
I want to encourage you as you read this with two scriptures:
Ephesians 3:20-21 (NKJV)
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Romans 8:28 (NKJV)
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
God bless.
Feel free to comment or share a testimony
Trevor Naidoo
01.05.2020
The Potter's House Church 