Not much in life is guaranteed, but the Bible is clear that tough times will come our way. Job loss. A family member passes away. Our kids struggle in life. Our car breaks down. We don’t get the promotion. Our other car breaks down. Divorce. Sometimes our lives can feel like the proverbial country song.
There is not one of us who haven’t, at some level, gone through difficult seasons. No doubt some are more difficult than others, but nonetheless we all go through these seasons.
That evening 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 food for themselves.” But Jesus said, “That isn’t necessary—you feed them.” “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!” they answered. “Bring them here,” he said. Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people. They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers.
This is a story that most people in America, even if they are not religious, have heard about. Jesus took limited resources, blessed them, gave them out, and fed the 5000. But in between the blessing and the giving there was breaking.
I recently wrote song called Let Faith Arise (lyrics below) that is the culmination of 5 years of experiences in ministry, books I’ve read, and personal growth. One would think by the title that it’s a song about faith. That is not entirely true. The song is a prayer for faith to arise in the heart of the church as they gather together (and especially in corporate worship).
