Daily Journey Through the Great Fast With the Early ChurchНамуна

We know that the God we believe in is compassionate and willing to give abundantly, if it is for our good. Why then do we not ask of Him knowing that He is willing and wanting to give freely to us, His children? It is not written that the multitude that followed Jesus for three days, with nothing to eat, asked of Him for food. We do not ask for the same reason, just like this multitude of four thousand men, not including women and children, that followed Jesus did not ask: because we believe there isn’t an assurance of His goodness.

We are afraid to ask out of fear of rejection, that He will say “no” or of not believing that He can or will. The last time Jesus fed the multitude, in the previous chapter, the disciples told Him to “send the multitude away” [Matthew 14:15] but this time He says that’s not an option, and yet again, the disciples, as if they forget this type of miracle happened once before, speak without assurance. The previous time Jesus did this same miracle, they were in a “deserted place” (Matthew 14:15) and this time the disciples find themselves in “the wilderness” (Matthew 15:33) but they acted as if they were unassured of Jesus’ abilities. Just like in the previous time, Jesus tells the disciples to gather the leftovers and the disciples would be required to carry the leftovers, as if to continue to remind them of the miracle after it occurred.

When we find ourselves in a difficult place in life, we must be assured in who our God is. He assures us that He will bless what little we have to be sufficient enough for us. Be assured that your Redeemer lives, that He is your strength, that He is fully aware of our situations in life, that He is in charge, that He will give grace for your insufficiencies to make you sufficient, He will give you the power to overcome – you must simply believe and ask.

“Let us not doubt that with a rich hand He will give His grace to those who love Him. He will not permit us to fall into temptation. If, by His wise purpose He permits us to be taken in the snare in order that we may gain glory by suffering, He will most assuredly grant us the power to bear it.” [St. Cyril of Alexandria, 5th century Patriarch of Alexandria, theologian known as the “Pillar of Faith” and a “doctor of the Church”]