August 4

The Lord will Provide

I have compassion for this crowd, because they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat. — Mark 8:2 BSB

These words of Christ show us how deeply the people desired to be with Him. They had been with Him for three days, and even when their food ran out, they wouldn’t leave. They would rather stay with Him, hungry, than leave Him to go find bread. It would be wonderful if people today had this same devotion to Christ. Some can barely sit through an hour-long church service or spend even a few minutes with Him in prayer in the morning and evening. If we truly hungered for spiritual nourishment, we wouldn’t grow weary so quickly in Christ’s presence.

Another lesson from these words is that Christ will take care of those who earnestly seek Him. The people had stayed in the wilderness for so long because they wanted to be with Jesus. It was their desire to stay near Him that moved His heart with compassion when He saw them growing hungry. “They came here to be with me,” He thought, “and they’ve forgotten their own needs because they wanted to stay close to me. I won’t let them suffer—I will provide for them.” We can take from this that Jesus will care for those who endure hardships for His sake. He may not always save us from suffering, but He will watch over us and provide for us in the best way possible. His heart is just as tender today, in the glory of heaven, as it was when He walked the earth. He is just as concerned for His friends in their need.

Let’s not overlook the fact that this story shows Jesus caring for people’s physical needs. We often limit our faith in Christ to spiritual matters, but He cares just as much about our physical well-being as He does about our souls.