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Homily: God’s Abundant Provision and Our Call to Faith

Scripture Readings:

2 Kings 4:42-44

Psalm 145:10-19

Ephesians 3:14-21

John 6:1-21

 

Introduction:

Today, we reflect on God’s abundant provision and the deep faith He calls us to have. Our readings from 2 Kings, Psalms, Ephesians, and John share a common theme: God’s generosity and our response to His blessings. Let’s explore these scriptures and uncover the divine expectations for our lives.

1. God’s Provision in 2 Kings 4:42-44:

In these verses, we see a remarkable miracle performed by the prophet Elisha. A man brings twenty loaves of barley bread to Elisha, who instructs him to feed a hundred men. The man doubts, but Elisha reassures him with God’s promise: “They shall eat and have some left.” Indeed, everyone ate, and there was food left over.

These verses highlight God’s ability to provide beyond our expectations. Even when resources seem insufficient, God multiplies them to meet our needs. This miracle foreshadows more extraordinary miracles to come through Christ.

2. God’s Faithfulness in Psalm 145:10–19:

Psalm 145 is a beautiful hymn of praise for God’s greatness and faithfulness. Verses 10-19 emphasize God’s provision and care for all creation:

“The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing.”

This psalm reminds us that God’s generosity is not limited to a select few but extends to everyone who calls upon Him. His faithfulness endures through generations, and He is near to all who seek Him.

3. The Depth of God’s Love in Ephesians 3:14-21:

Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21 profoundly expresses God’s love and power. He prays that the believers may be strengthened in their inner being, rooted and grounded in love, and able to comprehend the vast dimensions of Christ’s love.

Paul’s prayer concludes with a doxology, celebrating God’s ability to do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.” This passage calls us to trust God’s boundless love and power, knowing He can accomplish far more than we can imagine.

4. The Miracle of Feeding the Five Thousand

The Gospel reading from John 6:1-21 recounts the familiar story of Jesus feeding the five thousand with just five loaves and two fish. Like Elisha, Jesus demonstrates God’s power to provide abundantly. Despite the disciples’ doubts, Jesus blesses the food and miraculously multiplies it to feed the crowd with twelve baskets of leftovers.

This miracle is a testament to Jesus’ divinity and His compassion for people’s physical and spiritual needs. It also prefigures the Eucharist, where Jesus offers Himself as the bread of life, sustaining us eternally.

God does not just feed the many—the crowds where Jesus fed 5,000 with five barley loaves and two fish, nor the 100 men in 2 Kings where Elisha sent his servant to feed them with 20 loaves of bread.

We see God’s provision in other passages of the Bible, too. In 1 Kings 17:7–16, we can read about the Widow of Zarephath, who is in Sidon. God ordered Elijah to go to a particular widow in Sidon. The land had a famine, but Elijah was not ordered to go to everyone—just one widow. God ordered the widow to feed Elijah. However, Elijah found out she only had enough oil and flour to make enough to feed her and her son and then die. But Elijah told her to bring him a “little” cake and then make something for herself and her son. God had said, “The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.”

She did what Elijah said, and she and her son ate for many days.

He is also concerned about you and me.

There was a time in my life when I had very little money. I went to the food banks and got food to feed myself. But I happened to like coffee, and coffee was not available at the food banks. Coffee is not a survival thing, but I really like coffee. I looked in my canister and had enough to brew four 6 oz cups of coffee, with a little leftover and no money to buy more coffee for a couple of weeks and still be able to keep gas in my car. So, I prayed over my coffee canister. Now, that may sound silly to you, but I knew God could keep me in coffee! I mean, He didn’t have to multiply my flour, or oil, or eggs, or any of that stuff. All I wanted was coffee.

I’ll let you know that each morning I got up and opened that canister, there were two scoops of coffee to make my 4 and 6 oz. cups. I did not use 6 oz. cups. They were at least 8 oz. and maybe a little bigger. But I had a little coffee grounds left over. I’d put that lid back on the canister and thank God for His provision. The next morning, the same thing happened for two weeks.

God has been so good to me, and He wants to be that good to you, too. He gives us not just the things we need to survive but also the desires of our hearts.

The common thread in these passages is God’s incredible provision and the call to trust in His promises. In each story, God turns what seems inadequate into more than enough. Whether through Elijah, Elisha, the psalmist, Paul, or Jesus, we see a consistent message: God is generous, faithful, and powerful beyond measure.

God calls us to have faith in His provision and to trust in His boundless love. We are to approach Him confidently, knowing He cares for us, loves us, and can meet our needs in miraculous ways. In response, we are to live lives rooted in gratitude and generosity, sharing the blessings we receive with others.

You may find it hard to believe that God cares about you and everything concerning you. You may see Him as a distant and uninterested deity or as a cruel and watchful taskmaster, waiting for His chance to catch you doing something wrong and punish you.

Perhaps “blessing” is a word you don’t use in your everyday life. The dictionary defines blessing as “divinely favored or fortunate.” The Father’s intentions toward you are good all the time. He desires for you to flourish, to have provision for everything you need, and to live life in the fullness of His unfailing love. His goal for you is that you be continually transformed into the image and likeness of His Son, Jesus, by the power of His Word and the Holy Spirit.

It is through understanding how great the Father’s love is toward us that we can then begin to love ourselves [Francis MacNutt].

As we go about our daily lives, remember that God is our provider, our sustainer, and the source of all blessings. May our faith in His abundant provision lead us to live out His love in the world, bringing hope and sustenance to those around us.

Amen.