Trust Test

Church at Prayer                THE TRUST TEST                            September 8, 2015

When you face a challenging situation for which no resolution is apparent, what goes through your mind and emotion?  Do you “get on the balcony” and think through new alternatives and try to solve it yourself (or yourselves)?  Do you wrestle with feelings of hopelessness?

A large crowd gathered around Jesus who asked Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?”  (John 6:5b) The apostle John makes this interesting observation about Jesus, “He
said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do.”  (John 6:6)
For Jesus the resolution of the situation was never in doubt.  He wasn’t anxious, nervous, uptight, confused, or upset.  In fact, John reports that Jesus used the situation as an opportunity to test
Philip.
Philip has no clue what to do!  “Philip answered him, ‘Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.’” (John 6:7)  Neither did Andrew, “But what are they (five barley
loaves and two fish) among so many people?”  (John 6:8b)  And neither looked to Jesus!
Sometimes you and I have no clue what to do either!
At this point in the story, Jesus takes over, has the people sit down, breaks the fish and the loaves
into enough to feed everyone.
In whatever situation you face, be alert to the equivalent of the five loaves and two fish our Lord has given you and trust him.

Facing a huge enemy army, Jehoshaphat prayed, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”  (2 Chronicles 20:12b)  He passed the trust test!
            Joy to You – E. Stanley Ott, August 30, 2011  Vol. 10, No. 23, THE TRUST TEST
PRAYER SUGGESTIONS
Phillip and Andrew immediately tried to solve the problem of how to feed that large crowd, with Jesus standing right there!  Allow Jesus to take over in your life.  Pray the prayer Jehoshaphat prayed and pass your trust test!

When we are faced with a difficult situation, we try to “fix it” without a clue of how or even where to begin.  Jesus asks us to trust Him.  It’s remarkable what we can hear in quiet meditation. Don’t wait for a challenging situation to arise to pray for God’s guidance.

Keep in prayer all the families who have been impacted by this summer’s crazy weather!  Heat, draught, fires, rain, flooding, tornadoes and hurricanes have caused so much devastation.  We pray that they will ask Jesus for help and put their trust Him.

Pray for those on our prayer list who wrestles with feelings of hopelessness.  Pray that they (and you) turn to Jesus for answers. Sit in quiet meditation, allowing Christ’s Spirit to sustain you and bring you peace.

Let us close this time of prayer to include this line that caught my attention in last weeks’ Prayer of Confession:  “Cleanse us, and cause us to love your ways.  Deploy us, and may there flow from us sincere service to your kingdom.  We pray in Jesus’s name. Amen and Amen