We can all be boneheaded sometimes…
PRAY: Humbly ask God to give you wisdom to understand this portion of the Bible and the faith to live out what He reveals to you.
READ: Mark 8:1-20
In those days there was again a large crowd, and they had nothing to eat. He summoned the disciples and said to them, 2 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they’ve already stayed with Me three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a long distance.”(Mark 8:1-3)
Sometimes, we all can be thick-headed, or really: hard-hearted.
Here in Mark 8, we see Jesus feed over four thousand people by multiplying just a few fish and pieces of bread. The crowd ate until they were satisfied, and there were even leftovers! That would have been a magnificent miracle to see.
Shortly thereafter, the Pharisees demand a sign, but Jesus had just given them a sign! Just like God provided food to Israel when they wandered in the wilderness, so too Jesus had provided food to those who had followed him into the wilderness to hear his teaching. The Pharisees’ spiritual eyes were so blind they couldn’t even see the signs Jesus had given them.
And even Jesus’ disciples start fretting about not having food; they seem to have forgotten that their master could feed thousands from practically nothing. Wouldn’t he also take care of them?
It’s easy for us to read this account and criticize them for what seems to us to be blatantly apparent. However, we can easily forget God’s goodness and faithfulness if we aren’t careful. We forget the signs he has given and expect new ones. We sometimes even look for a new “word” from God when he has already spoken sufficiently and finally in his WORD. We must daily emerge ourselves in Scripture and daily remind ourselves of the deep truths of the Gospel, lest we stay and forget how much God has done for us.
Reflection Questions:
1. When are you most tempted to think God will not take care of you?
2. How do you react when God does not provide for you the way you want Him to?
3. Where do you turn to hear from God or find comfort? Where should you, and what is holding you back?
Memorize: Mark 8:18
18 Do you have eyes, and not see, and do you have ears, and not hear?[c] And do you not remember?
This week's devotional is written by Brian Seagraves. Brian is a City Church Owner and serves as a City Group Leader. He is a blogger and author, writes and teaches on apologetics, and is a software developer.