John 6.5,6 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come to him, he saith to Philip, Whence shall we buy bread that these may eat? (And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.)
2 Chronicles 20.12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.
These two incidents, one from each testament, provide us with a mini lesson on our need to trust God. While the situations are completely different, the need for God’s miraculous power and intervention was the same. In the only miracle (other than the resurrection of Jesus from the dead) recorded in all four gospels, Jesus tells Phillip to buy bread for this massive crowd. Where are we supposed to find this much bread? The local bakery is closed! But this was a test for Phillip. The Lord knew what He would do. Overwhelming circumstances or needs are tests. They cannot be figured out logically. Thus, we must walk by faith, and trust in God. Only He can do the impossible.
The second situation was one of a more serious nature. The people of God were outnumbered and outgunned by their enemies. King Jehoshaphat does a wise thing. He calls for a time of prayer and fasting and then declares, we have no clue what to do (sound familiar?), but our eyes are on You. The lesson? Keep your eyes on The Lord. The bible is filled with countless stories of how God moved amongst His people in time of great need or times of danger. Those were not just some “cute” stories written by a God Who got bored to death and decided to write a New York Times best seller!
Beloved, life is full of challenges, questions, needs and dangers. They are inescapable and unavoidable. Jesus has a plan. Keep your eyes on Him. Praise Him, like the Israelites did. Obey His command like the apostles did. Doubt your doubts, not your Lord! He Is faithful!
