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They Lost Understanding
Andrea Lende • September 1, 2020
Mark 6:52
They Lost Understanding
You can also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/They-Lost-Understanding-eivqgo
Daily Word:
Mark 6:52
“For they failed to consider or understand [the teaching and meaning of the miracle of] the loaves; [in fact] their hearts had grown callous [had become dull and had lost the power of understanding].”
Jesus had just fed the five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish.
Miracle after miracle was before the disciples’ eyes.
And, yet, our passage says that their hearts had become hard.
Because of their hard hearts they had lost their understanding of the Power of Jesus and Almighty God.
Our passage tells us that they didn’t fully understand the feeding of the five thousand people with the bread and fish.
It had been late in the day.
I’m sure they were tired.
I’m sure they were done serving the people.
The disciples told the Lord to send the people away so they could go buy themselves dinner.
They had no idea that Jesus would have the kind of mercy only He can have for people and want to take care of their needs.
The way they were experiencing this situation would probably have been like a parent telling the kids they had to work until late into the evening.
The kids wouldn’t likely want to help.
And the disciples were no different.
They didn’t have feelings for the hungry people.
They had no real connection to them.
They didn’t love them.
But Jesus did.
He loved them.
They were His children.
He came to serve them, and His job wasn’t done yet.
Verse thirty-four says, “He was moved with compassion for them”.
The disciples failed to see the miracle that was before them.
Our verse says it was because their hearts were hard.
I pray that God keeps my heart soft so that I can see the needs of others and so that I can see His miracles.
I do not want to miss one miracle that the Lord performs.
He is still the God of miracles.
Today I choose to look for others needs before my own and quickly meet those needs as the Lord strengthens me and provides.
May you find that helping others keeps your heart open to see God’s miracles as He comes to meet the needs of all His people.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for showing me Your immense compassion for Your people. Thank You for showing me that You are always seeking to meet our needs. Help me see You working and let me not miss one miracle that You do in my presence. I love watching You work, Lord. I pray that You keep my heart soft toward You, Father. Keep me seeing Your Almighty Power and Your merciful hand over my life and the lives of all Your people. May You strengthen me to do Your work. Help me not be faint or weak in helping others. Help me do all that You have for me to do. May Your Holy Spirit fill me with Your love. Only You can fill me with love that will spill out to others. Keep my eyes on You even amongst the chaos that surrounds me, Father. Keep me centered in Your love. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM the Great I AM and am watching over you and all My people.
Response: I praise Your Name, Almighty God and Father!
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.