And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and broke, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.

– Matthew 14:19-21

Thoughts on Today’s Verse…

When I read this verse in the past, I only received that God is almighty. He could feed five thousand people with five loaves and two fish. Nothing is impossible for God. Later, I saw a passage in a spiritual book and understood God’s will behind this miracle. It says in the book: “First, let’s try to understand what type of people these five thousand were. Were they followers of the Lord Jesus? From the Scripture, we know that they were not His followers. Did they know who the Lord Jesus was? Definitely not! At the very least, they didn’t know that the person standing in front of them was Christ, or maybe some people only knew what His name was, and knew something or had heard something about things He had done. They were merely curious about the Lord Jesus from the stories, but you certainly couldn’t say they followed Him, much less understood Him. … but in God’s heart, all creatures were under His rule, and He would allow all creatures in His sight to enjoy the grace of God when it was necessary. Even though these people did not know who He was or understand Him, or have any particular impression of Him or gratitude toward Him even after they had eaten the loaves and fish, this wasn’t something that God took issue with—He gave these people a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the grace of God. Some people say that God is principled in what He does, and He does not watch over or protect non-believers, and He especially does not allow them to enjoy His grace. Is that actually the case? In God’s eyes, as long as they are living creatures that He Himself created, He will manage and care for them; He will treat them, plan for them, and rule them in different ways. These are the thoughts and attitude of God toward all things.” God’s word changed my point of view. In the past, I thought God would protect me and my family, for I believed in Him. As to those who didn’t believe in Him, He would certainly not protect them. But I realized from this passage that how real and vast God’s love is for man! Those five thousand were not the Lord’s disciples nor His followers. Many of them even didn’t know who the Lord Jesus was. However, in the heart of God, these five thousand were people created by Him and under His sovereignty. Thus, instead of ignoring them, God gave them the chance to enjoy His grace, as well as take care of them and manage them. From this, we can see how profound and extensive the Creator’s love is for us!