Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

And taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves and gave them to his disciples so that they could set them before them. And he distributed the two fish to them all.

Mark 6:41

The Blessing of Adonai does not start out visible. It’s the small wisp of cloud a way off that is barely seen (1 Kings 18:44). It is barely discernible or quite impossible to discern. This is why we LOOK UP. The word used here is the same as the one used when people received their sight. Jesus looked BEYOND the natural world. He could see the loaves and fish. It wouldn’t matter if they were full loaves and 5kg fish (5kg being a large fish and able to feed approximately 10 people). Jesus would fall FAR short of His need for this many people. So Jesus looked up. He looked with spiritual eyes. He looked with the help of Ruach HaKodesh to recover His sight of Trust. He did it in two parts. First, He directed His sight toward the Father. Second, He blessed the food.

Jews say a blessing when they eat – meal or snack. The blessing varies based on the food being consumed. For bread, Jesus would have said ‘Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.’ Perhaps combining it with ‘Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, at whose word all came to be.’ That is said for miscellaneous foods which include fish. Usually a blessing is also said AFTER a meal. Both blessings are said because every meal is a sacred encounter with the provider of all things. Each blessing is meant to be an act of gratitude to G-d. They are never meant to be empty words, empty ritual, or words spoken without intent. You will NEVER hear ‘G-d is neat, let us eat’ coming from the lips of a Jew. They are intentful with their blessings to show how intentful they are with G-d.

Jesus needed to see beyond what He was holding – possible through the sight of trust that Ruach HaKodesh makes available to us. Beyond the physical world’s limitations and into the limitless resources of the Father (Luke 1:37). Jesus didn’t curse their apparent lack. He didn’t act like something impossible was facing them. He blessed it, refusing to see it as a problem. Instead, it was a situation for which the Father had a solution and Ruach HaKodesh had the power to bring about. Jesus didn’t look beyond what was in His hands. He didn’t seek to take anyone else’s portion or supply. He held ONLY what had been offered to their use and ONLY what He physically had. But He looked BEYOND that into the storehouses of Heaven and made a withdrawal (Malachi 3:10). This is the same kind of ‘looking up’ that is recorded in Mark 8:24-25; Luke 21:28; and Acts 7:55. Nebuchadnezzar also did it in Daniel 4:34. When we use our sight of trust and focus it on the Father, the storehouses seem to open.

“A certain woman from the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead. Now you know that your servant was a fearer of Yahweh, but the creditor came to take two of my children for himself as slaves. Elisha asked her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” Then she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of olive oil.” Then he said to her, “Go, ask for yourself some containers from the streets, from all your neighbors. You must collect as many empty containers as you can! You must also go and shut the door behind you and your children, and you must pour out oil into all of these containers and set the filled ones aside.” So she went from him, and she shut the door behind her and her children. They were bringing containers to her, and she kept pouring. It happened that when the containers were full, she said to her son, “Bring near me another container,” but he said to her, “There is not another container.” Then the olive oil stopped flowing. So she came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the olive oil and repay your debt. You and your sons can live on what is left over.”” (2 Kings 4:1-7). This woman, the widow of a prophet (some think Obadiah), didn’t curse the debt she was left with. She didn’t curse the lack of resources. She sought a prophet of Adonai to find out where she was going to get her need met. She looked to Adonai as her source. She didn’t dwell on a problem, she discussed a situation and walked out the solution she was given. She looked and received. Adonai has set things up so that we can cooperate with Him in miracles, signs, and wonders – the stuff which are the building blocks of the operation of this world (Matthew 19:26). Our efforts are given dignity through Jesus and we are allowed to feel our responsibility and praise Him for the accomplishment of the wonder. Every time it happens, it builds our relationship with He without Whom nothing would be possible (John 15:5).

As you go through the life of Jesus you should notice He never got frazzled by the events around Him. Not when someone came out of the blue to ask Him for something and not even during the ordeal of the crucifixion when His flesh was being torn off. He got happy, sad, tired, angry, was amazed, and felt pain and agony. But He NEVER chose to pick up anxiety and stress over any of it. He never saw anything as a PROBLEM. Only as SITUATIONS. Situations have solutions. Problems have feelings. Sin is emotional. Situations are not. They are what they are, and you find out what to do. In a situation you can be asleep in a boat, confident and secure (Mark 4:38-40). When you use the sight of trust that Ruach HaKodesh holds out to us, you stop seeing problems. You see situations and His guidance will get you through to the solution. Look, listen, and obey. Three steps to godly living right there. Simple to see, simple to understand. Don’t complicate your trust. Look, listen, and obey.

Daily Affirmation of the Goodness of Elohim: John 8:47

“The one who is from God listens to the words of God. Because of this you do not listen—because you are not of God.” There is no grey area here. If we are His, we listen to Him. And Ruach HaKodesh is ALWAYS speaking what Adonai says (John 16:13). There is no question of Adonai not talking. He is ALWAYS talking. WE are not always hearing. Part of hearing is obeying. If we hear, but don’t obey, then we are not listening. Adonai set things up so that we are able to ALWAYS hear and ALWAYS obey and NEVER feel alone or unheard. It’s HIS system of communication. Jesus came so that we could connect through Him to the Heavenly Hotline (John 15:5). He KNOWS we are about words and always have been. We’re in His image after all, and He is all about His Word. He knows and He made a Way to make sure we can ALWAYS hear His. Never alone. Never ghosted. Always available to us (Jeremiah 33:3). And always able to obey and succeed in our obeying (Philippians 4:13; Matthew 19:26). What a GOOD God!

Your Daily Confession of Elohim’s Goodness:

I taste and see that Yahweh is good; I am blessed because I take refuge in Him.

Psalm 34:8