Fish, Loaves, and Spaghetti?

My husband and I were hosting a team of people who desired to increase their knowledge of providing ministry.

“Do not eat the spaghetti,” my husband whispered as he pulled me aside. “We will eat peanut butter and crackers once everyone leaves. Let’s feed them first, small servings. Hopefully there will be enough for those who are here for ministry.”

That is exactly what we did—well, almost. We fed everyone. Then, they had seconds. Then, my husband and I ate spaghetti.

The next day, we ate peanut butter and crackers for breakfast, spaghetti for lunch and dinner. This went on every day for a week.

The day we ran out of spaghetti, a friend showed up at the door. She did not know about our lack of food. We had told no one. Yet here she was with three paper sacks full of groceries.

I know it sounds crazy, but it really did happen just like that. My story is not so odd. When we look at God’s Word, we see this has happened before.

John 6:1-15 tells the story of Jesus feeding five thousand men, plus women and children, with nothing but one boy’s lunch: five loaves and two fish. What an amazing miracle!

In 1 Kings 17:8-16 we find Elijah, a widow, and her son in the village of Zarephath. There was a drought, and Elijah was sent by God to the widow. He asked her to make him a little bread before she made any for herself and her son. Because she did as he asked, she and her son always had enough flour and oil throughout the remainder of the famine.

In all three of these stories, no one thought there would be enough food. Yet in each situation, the food was given to others first, then the miraculous happened: God multiplied it.

God is so faithful that even though the owners of the food never asked God to multiply it, He did it anyway. There is no mention of the widow asking or believing for the multiplication. She simply obeyed the prophet. The same is seen when that little boy gave Jesus his lunch. He simply handed it over. Then there’s my husband. He believed we would run out of spaghetti, but we fed everyone to their fill and then we ate.

The result in all three cases was abundance. Each story ends with more than enough. There were twelve baskets of leftovers from the loaves and fish. The widow had oil and flour until the crops grew. The spaghetti fed us until the three paper sacks full of groceries arrived. God provided more than what was needed.

These three stories show us the true character of God. He loves us and wants to bless us. He instructs us to seek Him and obey Him so we can receive from Him. This truth is found in Mathew 6:33 (NLT):

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

When we seek Him, He will give us abundance. God did this for King Solomon. 1 Kings 3:3-14 is the famous story. Solomon sought the Lord asking for wisdom and understanding. God gave him both, and so much more. 

I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have! And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame! vv. 12-13

May we always remember to trust God. Even in times of apparent lack, He is faithful.

~

Scripture is quoted from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.