Fully Prepared

They all ate and were filled.  (Matthew 14:20)

I was thinking about a kayaking adventure I shared with my granddaughters over the weekend. Our morning started with one of their favorite breakfasts, blueberry muffins, eggs, strawberries, ham, and hot chocolate. Breakfast with the girls is one of my favorite times with them. We talk, giggle, and enjoy our unrushed time together as they share what’s going on in their lives. After we were full and couldn’t eat another bite if we tried, we suited up and set out on our kayaks across the pond.

The sun was shining, birds were singing, fish were jumping, and the reflection of the shoreline shone on the glass like water. The weather was just perfect as we effortlessly paddled across three connecting ponds and took in the beautiful scenery. On our way back to camp, the wind picked up, and it took a lot more effort to stay ahead of the current that was developing.

Showing my age, I joked with the girls by asking them if they had eaten their Wheaties. To which they replied, “What are Wheaties?” Eventually, my youngest granddaughter’s strength gave out, and we tethered our kayaks together. Sometimes the rowing got extra difficult, and I realized she was hanging her legs over the side, and other times she paddled when she could, and we gradually made our way back to camp.

As I was thinking about this, I thought of the Bible story of Jesus feeding the 5000. He had spent time with His disciples and many others, talking with them and teaching them while He fed them until they were full. Afterwards, He told them to get into the boats and go ahead of Him to the other side of the lake while He sent the crowd away and went up the mountainside to pray. Later, when the boat was far out to sea, the wind came up against them, and they were battered by the waves. Several of the disciples were trained fishermen who had experienced similar conditions before, but the storm was relentless, and they became terrified.

The thought that came to me when I was thinking about this was that Jesus had fully prepared them before sending them out. Not only did they have full stomachs, but they also had His Word and past experiences that had shown His faithfulness. They would need the physical energy to paddle through the storm. They would need His Word (Bread of Life) to sustain them when discouragement tried to take charge. And they had past promises to hold tight to when unbelief attempted to drown out their faith.

Remember, Jesus is the one who sent them out to cross the lake, fully prepared, with the intention of meeting them later. He does the same with us. He knows there will be storms that are stopped and some that we must go through, but He will never leave us nor forsake us. And, like the disciples, we will never face a temptation or trial so strong that God has not made complete provision for us to overcome.