“And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick” (Matthew 14:14).
TEXT — Matthew 14:14-21
Message
Frank E. Graeff was an American hymn writer and minister in the Philadelphia Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is credited with authoring the hymn, “Does Jesus Care?” The hymn is inspired by 1 Peter 5:7: Cast your care upon Him, for He careth for you. The chorus of the 4-stanza hymn summarises the confidence in Christ’s compassion and ability to care for us: Oh yes, He cares, I know He cares! His heart is touched with my grief; When the days are weary, the long nights dreary, I know my Saviour cares.
In the text, upon hearing the news about the death of John the Baptist, Christ departed by ship into a desert place, and the crowd followed Him on foot. He was moved by their pathetic condition and healed the sick among them. As the evening approached, the disciples suggested that He sent them away so they could go to buy food for themselves. Rather than accede to His disciples’ demand, He told them to find food for the crowd. Sadly, they had only five loaves of bread and two pieces of fish.
Christ requested to have the loaves of bread and fishes, whilst He commanded the multitude to sit on the grass field. He took the bread and fish, blessed and handed them back to the disciples to distribute among the crowd. They did as Jesus commanded and to their surprise, the food was not only enough for the crowd, they also had some leftovers that filled 12 baskets.
Life can throw up challenges that defy solution. At such a time, we often feel hopeless. But Jesus is still so caring and concerned about our situation. He will attend to our needs and make us a channel of blessing whose meagre talent or treasure He will use to put a smile on the faces of those who have given up all hopes of a solution.
Thought for the day
Jesus has solutions to all problems. He cares for you!
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
How can I get living seed margin