Unusual Encounters: Jesus Satisfies

Unusual Encounters
John 6 – Jesus feeds the 5000, The Bread of Life.

This past Thursday as I was speaking, I looked out on all these amazing Thrive women! I was struck by how many different places we represent. Just think of the labels: daughters, sisters, wives, moms, working women, stay-at-home moms, empty nesters, moms with young kids, breastfeeding moms, potty training moms, divorced women, newly married women, grieving women, hurting women, heavily-laden women, too-busy women, thriving women, and I could go on. What an incredible range of identities and seasons of life we represent! With those identities comes a plethora of needs, yet I bet each of us has a story to tell of how God has met us. Jesus is not hindered by labels, numbers or depth of need.

My own season in life as a stay-at-home mom with a toddler daughter and a school-aged son comes with its challenges. Add those challenges to my own issues (plus my husband’s issues on top) and you can get a big mess from time to time. Take Friday night for example:

My kids went trick or treating on Friday. The original plan was that I would take them around the neighborhood. But, I wasn’t feeling well. Matt went instead. After 30 minutes Natalie came home. She was too tired to walk, and wanted to be carried. She got dropped off. Matt and Zach went out again. Toward the end of the night Zachary tripped, fell, and scraped up his face. He needed to be carried home from far down the street.

An injured child is a common occurrence. Zach will most certainly heal. Here’s how the Lord orchestrated the whole night. The Lord met my need to stay home in an understanding husband with a servant’s heart. The Lord met Zach’s need for the physical strength of his dad. Natalie called it quits early, so Matt didn’t have to worry about her while worrying about Zach. Natalie, being 2 years old, has a need to learn compassion for others. Her injured brother provided a teachable moment.

Kids get hurt. And in the middle of life, there is the Lord. He is graciously meeting every need, organizing every detail for good, and preparing to care for us as our needs come up. Typical Jesus!

Can you think of a need the Lord met for you in the past? Take a few moments to consider. Make sure to thank Him for it. Can you encourage someone else by sharing that story with them?

What do you need today? Is it purpose? Is it comfort or reassurance? Is it the resolution of physical struggle? Is it forgiveness? Can you ask God to meet your need and meet you there? He won’t be surprised to hear about your need. He won’t be unprepared or caught wanting in other way. He is ready to be all that you need.

This Thursday, Nicole will continue in John 6 with Jesus Satisfies. We will see you then!