God Who Satisfies

Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

John 6:11

This week we look at the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5000 and how it shows the heart of God that wants us to be satisfied in every way–including, but not limited to, our physical needs.

Devotion: Satisfied by Jesus

Gather your family and start with some conversation around hunger:

Have you ever felt really hungry? How did you know you were hungry? Did you read a sign somewhere? Did someone tell you, “Hey, you need to eat some lunch!” No, so how do you know when you are hungry? (Allow for some discussion around this awareness.)

Well, one day there were a lot of hungry people with Jesus. It started when Jesus climbed up a mountainside and all these people followed him because they knew he had healed a lot of sick people. They were so excited to follow Jesus that most of them forgot to bring along any food for lunch!

So, Jesus decides to provide lunch: He takes the fives loaves of bread and two fish that a boy had brought, gives thanks, then begins to break off pieces to give out to the thousands of people. In the end, it says that everyone had enough to eat and there were 12 baskets of leftovers! What an amazing miracle!

The food Jesus provided left everyone satisfied. Have you ever eaten something and still felt hungry? That’s what it feels like to not be satisfied. The Bible tells us that nothing can satisfy our spiritual hunger but God. He promises us that “Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

Anytime you feel hungry or thirsty, remember God’s love for you and receive from Him so you can be satisfied. Let’s take a minute to receive His love right now. (Spend a few seconds in silence, allowing the Spirit to meet with you, then close with a short prayer of thanks).