One thing about having a little one is that everything you do changes overnight. Something as simple as turning on your favorite playlist or TV show might be quickly replaced by lullabies and animated movies. Here at our house, we have started filling our bedtime routines with a little singing before drifting off to sleep.
Recently, I started singing the repetitious song, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” to my baby boy, and I was suddenly comforted to know that I serve a God who holds my son in His arms as well as the entire world. However, by the time we got to the song’s second verse, “He’s got the little tiny baby in his hands / He’s got the whole world in His hands,” a still small voice reminded me of how often the Lord uses children for His Kingdom and His plans in Scripture. And how important it is to raise our children in His ways!
Throughout the Bible, we see many stories where He used children, teens, or young adults for Kingdom work. A few include:
- David fighting Goliath.
- Mary accepting the call to carry the Lord’s son.
- Samuel answering God’s call to follow Him.
- Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego facing death for standing up for what they believed in.
- Baby Moses drifting down the river in a basket.
- Jesus, Himself, as a young boy teaching in the temple.
Another one of my favorite child-filled stories in the Bible is found in John 6. Here, we’re given a look into one of Jesus’s many miracles – the feeding of the 5,000. Lest we forget, there was another key player in this story: the young boy listening to Jesus who brought his assumed lunch of five barley loaves and two fish.
I’m sure this young boy woke up that morning thinking nothing would be out of the ordinary. He packed his lunch, and off he went! He didn’t leave that morning looking for fame or think of becoming a character in the most-sold book of all time. No, he simply left his house seeking to hear Jesus.
When the crowd got hungry, Jesus sent his disciples looking for food. Verses 6-7 say,
“This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. Philip answered Him, ‘Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.’” (Emphasis added.)
Jesus knew exactly what he was going to do. He already knew the boy was there and how much food he’d brought with him. Nevertheless, he still sent them to look and that's when they found the five loaves and two fish.
“One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, *said to Him, 'There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?' Jesus said, 'Have the people sit down.' Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted." (8-11)
Not only did Jesus feed the 5,000 that day, but He also showed how He could use anything or anyone (no matter how young) to fulfill His plans.
Jesus didn’t have to have the loaves. He could’ve called down manna if He wanted, but instead, He used this opportunity to show the crowd that He was who He said He was, and He used a little lad’s measly lunch to make that happen.
I envision that the little one didn’t understand or know what was going to become of his day when he left his house that morning. But we, as children of God, know exactly Who we have on our side. From the moment we open our eyes (and even while we sleep), the Holy Spirit is living inside us, and we have the opportunity to show and share Him.
What would happen to our nation if we left our homes each morning looking for Him?
He used a few fish and a couple of loaves of bread to feed 5,000. Just imagine what He can do with your willing heart that is seeking Him!
