40 Days of PRAYER
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days of PRAYER
Day 37 | LOOKING UP | Luke 9:16-17
40 Days of PRAYER
Day 37 | LOOKING UP | Luke 9:16-17
LOOKING UP
Luke 9:16-17
“And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and, looking up to heaven, He blessed them and broke them, and gave them to the disciples again and again, to serve the crowd. And they all ate and were satisfied; and the broken pieces which they had leftover were picked up, twelve baskets full.” (NAS)
Most of us are familiar with this story, the feeding of the 5000, and could probably tell the story to others. (It’s interesting to note that, except for the Resurrection, this was the only miracle mentioned in all four gospels.)
Here, Doctor Luke is giving us the simple sequence of events in that miracle, but in rereading it – and while thinking about this series on prayer – I noticed and focused on the phrase “looking up to heaven, He blessed them.” Think about it… Jesus – the Son of God – looked up to His Heavenly Father and prayed for what he had AND for the miracle that was about to happen.
So, what’s the take-away here? How thankful are we? And do we tell the LORD – via prayer – that we are?
Jesus’ blessing of the five loaves and two fish was typical of what Jesus did – ALL the time – that is, he maintained communication with His Father in heaven, whether about big or little things. (This reminds me of 1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.”)
I doubt Jesus’ prayer was long – probably quite short – but it maintained the communication and reminded Jesus (who didn’t need reminding – but His followers did), that God the Father is the One who blesses… and we are the recipients of those blessings. And I was taught as a little boy that when someone gave me a gift, I was to say “thank you.”
Your heavenly Father deserves that too.
Prayer: Lord, help me continue to develop the habit of thanking you for everything. I am so blessed, and it’s ultimately because of YOU. Amen.
Luke 9:16-17
“And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and, looking up to heaven, He blessed them and broke them, and gave them to the disciples again and again, to serve the crowd. And they all ate and were satisfied; and the broken pieces which they had leftover were picked up, twelve baskets full.” (NAS)
Most of us are familiar with this story, the feeding of the 5000, and could probably tell the story to others. (It’s interesting to note that, except for the Resurrection, this was the only miracle mentioned in all four gospels.)
Here, Doctor Luke is giving us the simple sequence of events in that miracle, but in rereading it – and while thinking about this series on prayer – I noticed and focused on the phrase “looking up to heaven, He blessed them.” Think about it… Jesus – the Son of God – looked up to His Heavenly Father and prayed for what he had AND for the miracle that was about to happen.
So, what’s the take-away here? How thankful are we? And do we tell the LORD – via prayer – that we are?
Jesus’ blessing of the five loaves and two fish was typical of what Jesus did – ALL the time – that is, he maintained communication with His Father in heaven, whether about big or little things. (This reminds me of 1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.”)
I doubt Jesus’ prayer was long – probably quite short – but it maintained the communication and reminded Jesus (who didn’t need reminding – but His followers did), that God the Father is the One who blesses… and we are the recipients of those blessings. And I was taught as a little boy that when someone gave me a gift, I was to say “thank you.”
Your heavenly Father deserves that too.
Prayer: Lord, help me continue to develop the habit of thanking you for everything. I am so blessed, and it’s ultimately because of YOU. Amen.