It had been an exhilarating mission trip. Jesus had sent the disciples to go to the villages to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal (Luke 9:1-6). Even though they brought neither bread nor money, God had provided. And He had worked through them.

Now Jesus was taking them away for a retreat. But a great crowd followed. The Lord welcomed them. He taught them about the kingdom of God and healed the sick. The disciples, though feeling a tad tired, may have enjoyed sitting among the crowd and listening to the Master Teacher as well.

But the sunlight started to wane, and stomachs began to growl. The disciples came to Jesus and gently reminded Him that they were in a remote place. Peter, Andrew, and Philip knew the challenge they faced since they were from a town in that region (John 1:44). The disciples suggested that Jesus should send the crowd away so that they could find food and lodging. But Jesus said, “You feed them” (Luke 9:13).

Clearly, the disciples had done their math. They reminded Jesus that they had only five loaves and two fish to feed 5,000 men.

Surely, going to buy food for the crowd would be necessary. Instead, Jesus instructed His men to get the people to sit in groups of about 50 each. Though the disciples may have thought this would take precious time away from going to get the food, they obeyed. Only when all the people sat down did Jesus perform His miracle. They all ate to their hearts’ content, and there was food to spare!

Like the disciples, we are on a journey with Jesus. He has much to show us about Himself and the things that He can do through us and with us. And what does He ask? That we simply trust and obey.

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Exodus 6:1-13