Are You Getting Your Fill

Mark 6:39-44 (MSG)  Jesus got them all to sit down in groups of fifty or a hundred—they looked like a patchwork quilt of wildflowers spread out on the green grass! He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted His face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread to the disciples, and the disciples in turn gave it to the people. He did the same with the fish. They all ate their fill. The disciples gathered twelve baskets of leftovers. More than five thousand were at the supper.

First of all, the way the Message puts it here, is quite the visual for me! I love it! “Like a patchwork quilt of wildflowers” I can totally see that in my mind’s eye!

When Jesus knew they were going to be feeding all of the people, I can only imagine the prayer He spoke up to God before blessing the food. This gave me a different perspective of “praying before we eat”. Opening up our “blessing” with prayer. I now picture a prayer something like this: “Father, these people have come to hear and learn about You. They are wanting a saving relationship. Thank You for drawing them near, thank you for allowing us to take care of their physical needs. Father, these are your chosen beloved children, thank You for how You will provide. I ask that You bless this food that we are about to serve. May each person be filled as their body needs. Thank You Father for your bountiful provisions. I pray in Jesus’ name, amen.” Kind of ‘talking’ with God BEFORE asking for a blessing on the food, that’s what I got out of this. I have been doing this sort of, before I eat since my weight loss surgery. I ask God to allow the Holy Spirit to guide me in what to eat, how much to eat, and to recognize when my body has had enough. But to “talk to Him” BEFORE asking for His blessing, this is a bit new to me – I like it!!

I feel like this moment in time, is for other moments in our day and life as well. How many times does the Lord “give us our fill” in things? Like the day when you have SO much to do, and you are just not sure how it will all get done… then at the end of the day, “your fill” was met, and usually exceeded! Or when you don’t have enough money for food, bills, or gas and something comes in just the perfect amount to help out? When we START our day in prayer with God, it lays the foundation for our ‘patchwork quilt’ of our day. It may hop around from thing to thing, like the many colors in a quilt, or it may stick to the binding of the edges, one task at a time. Either way, at the end of the day – the “fill” we needed gets met!

How will you start your day? How will you begin in your prayer with Jesus? Then, how about each meal? Try talking to God FIRST about what He is doing, what He has done – and THEN ask for His blessing to “fill you as needed” with the nourishment He is providing. Be well today. Be safe. Be blessed bountifully!