2 Kings 4:42-44 (NRSV)
Read 2 Kings 4:42-44 on biblegateway.com
Verse 42A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing food from the first fruits to the man of God: twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. Elisha said, "Give it to the people and let them eat." Verse 43But his servant said, "How can I set this before a hundred people?" So he repeated, "Give it to the people and let them eat, for thus says the Lord, 'They shall eat and have some left.'" Verse 44He set it before them, they ate, and had some left, according to the word of the Lord.
Devotion
“Give it to the people and let them eat,” Elisha said. The Creator wants hungry creatures to be fed. God’s leaders respond to God’s promise by sharing bread that the hungry may be fed. Long before Jesus feeds the 5,000, the pattern is set. People hunger. God provides food. Hunger is satisfied.
A retired pastor came to my office many years ago. He was disappointed in our congregation. We housed the local food shelf he noted, but we gave almost nothing to fight world hunger. He maintained we have lots more to share and volunteered to chair a world hunger committee. The first year their education and challenge resulted in an annual four-fold increase. The next year it doubled. Year after year the gifts grew.
People hunger. God’s people respond to God’s promise. Hunger is satisfied.
Prayer
God of Abundance, feed us with your compassion. Lead us to feed the world. Amen.
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