Distractions…I’ve had a few…

Singer Frank Sinatra felt that way about “regrets” as he crooned the song “My Way.” Most of us today would feel that regrets have been eclipsed by distractions today. The coronavirus is a global distraction, as well as being a major health and economic concern. Racial unrest in my country and protesters of all kinds draw our attention more that other things. Distractions. Sometimes it is even the daily impact of our ministry and its needs. Distractions.

You may be asking, “Distractions from what?” Glad you asked.

The other morning Judy and I were reading one of the accounts of Jesus’ feeding of the enormous crowds that sometimes packed around Him to hear His teaching. It happened several times…but Jesus gave a brief and stark response to His disciples when they talked to him about the hunger of the crowd.

Late in the afternoon his 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 nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat.” Mark 6:35-36 NLT

Sounds like a reasonable suggestion, right? Except for one thing. The disciples were distracted. Distracted by the need. Distracted by the lack of food for the masses. Distracted by their meager resources. And in verse 37, what was that stark response from Jesus?

…“You feed them.”

Can you put yourself in the place of the disciples? They look out over the hillside at the five thousand men, along with women and children. Probably 10 to 15 thousand hungry folks. And then the disciples did what I probably would have done: weigh the options and the obstacles; try to strategize a way to do what the Master said…and come up short. Jesus’ command to His disciples…“You feed them.” The disciples’ response?

“With what?” they asked. “We’d have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!” Mark 6:37 NLT

You can almost hear the frustration in their voices. Impossible task. Lacking resources. Yet a clear command from Jesus. I’m thinking there were several awkward seconds that passed as Jesus looked at his key leaders and they looked at Him.

We need to remember that these disciples had seen amazing things happen as Jesus ministered. Their Master had healed the sick, rescued people from demons, calmed the seas…miracle after miracle. But a lack of bread and a large crowd had somehow distracted them from the Lord’s amazing power.

Are you making the application? God has called you to ministry. You have great opportunities. You see the hand of the Lord at work in amazing ways. Then…some obstacle comes up. The need is too great. The resources are too little. The budget is too small. The donations are too few. On and on…distracted by the things we see. And we hear Jesus say, “YOU feed them. YOU do it.” How?

Jesus’ plan was simple.

  • What DO you have?
  • Bring it to me.

“How much bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and find out.” They came back and reported, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish.” Mark 6:38 NLT

Yes, there is a global pandemic. Yes, the global economy is teetering. Yes, we have all sorts of challenges. But Jesus’ direction to the distracted disciples is just as true for us today. What DO you have? Bring it to me.

The few brief words in the opening verses of Hebrews 12 are the key.

“…keeping our eyes on Jesus….”

A. W. Tozer directs us, “If we are to gaze into the face of God, we must look beyond our present circumstances.”

I’m sure you know the rest of the story. The people were fed from those meager resources. And as He does again and again, Jesus showed His exceedingly abundant power and love as the disciples brought back more food than they started with. God will make a way…

Distracted? Keep your eyes on Jesus!