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By Mike Caton

John 6:8-9, Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

Wouldn’t you like to know more about this boy and his food? I sure would. He was a boy and not a man, the Greek word means a little boy, a child, a youth, other translations say a lad. So that is the picture we are going to have in our minds. Where are his parents? Had he wandered off while Jesus was teaching? Were they looking for him, and how would they feel if they saw him being taken to Jesus. And what about this food he had? Those five loaves were not like our loaves today, they were more biscuit or hamburger bun shaped. John says they were small, but that is relative. And then there were two small fish, again, how small is small? I’ve always imagined this as just the little boy’s lunch, a couple of tuna fish sandwiches. But what if it was the meal for his family?

Anyway, it might have been enough for a boy to eat or maybe even for his family, but there would be no way it would feed this great crowd. And why would Andrew even bring this up to Jesus? Here is a crowd of folks to feed and all I’ve got is a Pepsi and a pack of nabs. What was Andrew thinking?

I’ve heard this expression for years, but through the wonder of the internet, I found it is actually an old gospel song; little is a lot when the Lord is in it. But you see, we must be willing to entrust the Lord, not just with our little, but with ourselves. And we need to trust that the Lord can do the things we cannot. There was no way Jesus and his disciples could feed that crowd, no way that meager food could satisfy that multitude. And yet, when whatever we have is entrusted to Jesus, great things happen. It is not about us, it is not about our stuff, it is about the Lord! But it hinges on our faith in God.

Father, use my little for your lot. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Mike Caton is the preacher at Mount Olive Church of Christ in Belhaven. He volunteers at the Ponzer Fire Department and works part time with Hyde County EMS. If you would like to receive daily devotions in your inbox, email mikecaton@centurylink.net.

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