Trusting Jesus When Life Is Hard: A Study on John 6Sýnishorn

Exactly What You Need

Imagine for a moment the crowd that’s been following Jesus.

It’s likely that they were coming to Him with very real needs, and were hoping to experience their own personal breakthroughs. A full meal wasn’t likely what they were expecting that day, but we now know they ultimately experienced something far more than a miracle.

Starting with five loaves of bread, two fish, and over 5,000 people to feed, Jesus thanked God for the boy’s offering and then had the disciples distribute the food. The people were able to eat “as much as they wanted.”

Remember, we started with the reality that their problem was impossible. There wasn’t enough food for every person to have a bite, let alone as much as they wanted. But the good news is that Jesus wasn’t limited by their reality.

After everyone had enjoyed their abundant share of food, Jesus instructed the disciples to pick up the leftovers. How was it possible that there was food left over, when there hadn’t been “enough” to begin with?

It’s because Jesus was never limited. He was always able to provide more than enough for their needs.

In the same way, God can provide abundantly for us today. As with the hungry crowd, He knows what we need. He is a faithful, good Father who provides for us. If you’ve been waiting, remember God’s not wasting your perseverance. He wants us to be formed into His image. Will you trust Him?

Scripture encourages us to draw near to God, trusting that He will give us what we need:

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 1 John 5:14 NIV

He’s listening to your cries. Just keep asking and believing, child of God. And keep trusting God’s timing and plans. Sometimes we’ll experience our prayers being answered exactly as we asked and expected. Other times, our all-knowing, good, and wise God responds in a different way.

When we don’t receive what we’ve asked for, it can be tempting to think God didn’t hear, doesn’t care, or isn’t moving. Instead, choose to trust God’s infinite love for you. He loves you and intimately understands what it’s like to suffer. He understands rejection, poverty, grief, betrayal, slander, abuse, hate, unbelief, physical pain, temptation, exhaustion, stress, and more. And He endured it all in obedience to God for us and now sits at the right side of God’s throne as our great High Priest praying for us continually.

Jesus is our ultimate miracle. This world is not our home. We are temporary residents awaiting a new heaven and new earth. We can set our hope on Christ’s great salvation, promise to judge evil, and promise of eternal life with Him.

Journal: Write down your most common prayer requests. Are there any ways you can adjust them to pray more specifically, or with more confidence that God hears? Pray and ask God for wisdom and discernment in order to know and pray according to His will.