Miracles 2: Who Brought the Fish?

"In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth." The very first words of Scripture establish without a doubt that the Authority over all things is such simply because He had the power to create it. Everything we see, hear, feel, touch, know, sense -- and even more than that! -- was created by God.

So, when it comes to the miraculous, we can also know that what we call supernatural is just God interacting with His creation in ways only He can. Yet, for all of that, have you noticed how often God requires a human component in His works? Four separate times in the book of Luke alone (7:50, 8:48, 17:19, 18:42), Jesus tells somebody, "your faith has made you well."

Not, "Hey, look what I did." Not, "God made you better." Even though He could have rightfully said either, where He focused was "your faith."

Throughout Scripture, there is a pattern of cooperation between God and Man. God could have simply knocked down the walls of Jericho, for example. Instead, He commanded Israel to march around it, and finally blow their trumpets. Why? Perhaps so there could be no mistake that it was the God of Israel, and not a mere earthquake, which accomplished the task. Or perhaps to set the standard of obedience and trust.

One of my favorite stories from Scripture is from Matthew 14:13-21, where Jesus feeds over five thousand people with five loaves of bread and a couple of fish.

Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
“Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

The Lord actually accomplished this type of miracle at least twice in recorded testimony, and each time, He asked that the food first be brought to Him for blessing.  But did you notice what Jesus said to His disciples? "You give them something to eat." 

God accomplishes miracles today; but we are His hands, just as His disciples were when He walked on Earth. He will bless the work of our hands, and multiply it to His purposes. All we have to do is bring the fish.