“…And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.” ~ Matthew 14:19
REFERENCE:
On the day Jesus had a multitude to feed, the miracle was not in the five loaves of bread but in the broken pieces. Jesus, upon receiving the bread, looked up to heaven, gave thanks, broke the loaves into pieces, and gave them to the disciples to give to the multitude. It was the broken pieces that God multiplied and breathed on, not on the whole loaves of bread.
One would expect the bread to be given whole to a few that could eat and have those satisfied instead of breaking it into fragments that would not fill anyone. One can buy more bread or wait for God to multiply the five loaves to feed the crowd, but God chooses differently. He multiplied the broken pieces. Why is that so instructive?
Those five loaves of bread speak about you and me. When we see ourselves as whole, complete, enough in ourselves, and having all the necessary human qualifications, we are limited, and God finds it difficult to use us to bless our world. God will first want to ‘break’ us and take away every sense of reliance on self, education, accolades, beauty, etc. God only uses broken vessels.
We rarely hear about brokenness in today’s church, but it is the way to greatness in the kingdom. Go through scripture and look at life; notice that God uses broken things. Vance Havner said, “…It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box that produces perfume. It is Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns to greater power than ever.” The blessing is in the broken pieces.
You may be going through a situation that makes you think God has forgotten you, is hurting you, shunning you, humiliating you, literally breaking you. Do not despair; you will come out gold. Until you are broken, the blessing you carry will not manifest. Until He broke Jacob’s hip, he could not become Israel. Joseph’s fragrance came out after life’s experiences broke him, and Gideon broke his clay jars before the light inside could shine. Be like the loaf of bread in Jesus’ hands. Let Him break you; He knows what He is doing – the blessing is in the broken pieces.
PHOTO QUOTE
ADDITIONAL TEXTS:
Job 23:8-10 and II Corinthians 4:7-10
PRAYER:
+ Lord, teach me that no experience I go through will go to waste; it will work for my good.
+ Lord, I can confidently say that I have been broken in different areas of my life – struggles in my career, marriage, extended family, finances, etc. Lord, qualify me to reveal Your glory.
+ Father, take the broken pieces of my life and make me a blessing to my generation and world.
