Bring Our Best, and Let Him Do the Rest

A few weeks ago, I wrote that we can be busy but we don’t have to be stressed. I stand by that and I offered some hints on how to get that life in that blog post.

I want to go a little deeper into that space today. The most recent Stress in America report from the American Psychological Association shows nearly seven in ten surveyed rate work as a significant stressor in their life. Now, deadlines are real, co-worker dynamics can be tricky, and some weeks the competing demands seem to push us to the brink.

However.

I wonder if sometimes we sacrifice peace at the altar of pace because we think we need to make something happen. People live at a breakneck pace for all sorts of reasons. Validation. Competition. Wanting to be best. Having a hard time saying no. Not totally believing that God will provide on time or enough. Today, for my readers of the Christian faith, let’s not miss the simple wonder that we serve a God who multiplies. He simply asks for what’s in our hands and says, “Now watch this.”

It makes me think of an entry from my Find Hope devotional (which makes a great gift for Easter or Mother’s Day). I’d like to share that with you today, just in case you need a reminder that God works in our weariness—often simply with what we bring to Him.

I’m not suggesting you take bread and fish to your boss tomorrow and ask her to turn it into a business plan or a slide deck for a presentation. But you might sense a nudge to bring God your best and then watch Him work—rather than relying on your own strength, creativity, or power to make things happen.

Enjoy.

Lift Your Eyes 

“Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” 

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” 

—John 6:34-35 

He Works When We Are Weary 

Are you running on empty because of a demanding schedule that never lets up? Your to-do list is probably filled with worthy things like caring for your family or working hard to meet a deadline. Even the most energetic among us can grow weary. And when our tank runs dry, our spirit becomes depleted and hope dries up like a parched desert tumbleweed.  

Jesus’ disciples likely felt this way too. In Luke 9:1-6, Jesus sent them out for the first time to do the hard work of ministry. These men hit the ground running, going “from village to village, proclaiming the Good News and healing people everywhere” (Luke 9:6). And when the disciples returned after weeks of exhilarating but exhausting ministry, Jesus took them away to Bethsaida to try to rest.  

Here’s where the story hits home for us: their work followed them. Crowds of needy people found them and pressed in, demanding their time, energy, and service. Eventually, the crowds became restless and hungry—and the disciples were probably feeling spent, hopeless, and inadequate. There was no way they could feed all these people! Especially with the meager rations of one little boy’s lunch—five loaves of bread and two fish.  

But Jesus did something amazing that day: He fed everyone. And who was the miracle primarily for? Thousands of people were spread over a wide area, which probably means most of them didn’t see the actual miracle. Many probably assumed the disciples brought the food with them.  

Although word of the miracle spread afterward, I wonder if Jesus’ immediate intention was primarily to encourage His weary disciples. Imagine how reinvigorated and encouraged they were as they witnessed Jesus’ power and provision! He was also showing them something we all need to learn: We are trying to accomplish what Jesus has given us to do, but the task is not ours to accomplish in our own strength.  

We must not simply marvel at the miracle meal and miss the underlying message. When we are tired, discouraged, and hungry for fresh hope and strength, let’s confidently draw near to Jesus, the Bread of Life, giving Him our loaves and fishes and expecting that He will work. He promises to do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20). And when His miracle supply flows into our impossible challenge, joy and hope overflow!   

If you are interested in having Shaunti bring research-based strategies, practical wisdom and biblical principles to your next event, please contact Nicole Owens at [email protected].

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