Some Not-So-Remote Truth
I recently read a devotion that referenced a familiar section of scripture.
Matthew 14, beginning with verse 14, tells the account of a gathering of over 5,000 people whom Jesus was ministering to. (This was apparently pre-Covid days.) You have likely read the account before, as I have. This time, however, something in the story stood out to me. See if it does to you too.
It became apparent very late in the day that people would need to eat and this was the response of the disciples in verse 15:
As evening approached, the disciples came to Him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
The disciples were acknowledging that by the looks of things, the situation at hand was far beyond what they had resources or solutions for. As they looked around at the sea of hungry people, they had nothing of their own to offer them. There was no nearby McDonalds or other fast food source since they were in a “remote”(solitary, lonely, desolate, uninhabited) place. What could be done? Well, they came up with what they thought was a good solution. Send the crowd away to find their own food in nearby villages.
This scenario sounds all too familiar. We can feel like we are in a “remote place” with no obvious answer in sight. When we look at our problem with only our finite eyes and realize there are no resources around to “fix” it, we begin to think of our own ways to do so. The interesting thing about this account is that Jesus said no to their idea….because He was about to do a miracle right there in that “remote place”. This is so encouraging to me as I have places in my life where I am praying for miracles. And honestly, the view from where I am standing seems pretty remote at times.
Do you find yourself praying from some sort of remote place? Do you look around and see that the situation is beyond fixing or that the need is beyond the ability to be met? The solution for the disciples was right in the midst of them and the same is true for us. Jesus’ presence is just as real for us as it was for those physically with Him then. If you are like me, you may also feel like it is getting “late”. But we can be sure He is standing with us, He sees the situation, and He has a plan. The truth is, when we have a relationship with the living God, we are never really in a remote place after all.