A Desolate Place

In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha. Mark 8:1-10


I was not able to write my blog yesterday since we had no internet available at my Mom's house. Being home for a few short days was sweet, and she is well despite her years. This time of year our town is empty, with even the year-round residents visiting warmer climes. One can walk in the street without seeing others and can drive around without seeing another driver some times. We walked up onto the beach this morning to smell the salt air, to listen to the roar of the surf and to get some sand in our shoes before our journey continued. It is a desolate place this time of year, but full of the wonder of God's beauty and the sweet memories of family and friends.

Jesus was with a crowd of people who were hungry and needy. They stayed with him to listen and be made whole again, but it was a challenging journey, a challenging place and they were in need of food for the journey home. There was nothing available where they were except a few loaves. A blessing and sharing became food enough for all. I do not pretend to know how the miracle happened, all I know is that they went away full and strong for the journey ahead. God promises to find us in our most desolate places, and feed us enough for the journey ahead. How it happens is a mystery but God is with us always even in our hunger and wilderness places.

Today, I ask God to feed us enough for the journey ahead. There are days when the tasks and challenges seem too great, our tanks are on empty, and we are spent. God promises to be with us in these moments, and more than that fill us so that we might go on in joy. So may we ask for our fuel and food, and be ready to rejoice in the miracle of God's great love for us today.