By Dave Holland
Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. So, they all ate… Luke 9:16-17
Potatoes are worth about a dollar in my hands, but they are worth a lifetime of fond memories in my mother’s hands. Five loaves and two fish in my hands are a decent lunch, but in Christ’s hand, it feeds the multitudes with baskets of food leftover. Such is the power of God’s blessing.
Thousands of eager followers hung on Christ’s every word all day in a remote place. Then, they were hungry. The disciples had barely enough food for themselves, but they gave it to the Lord. Jesus took the food, looked toward heaven, spoke the blessing. And broke it.
The Greek word translated “blessing” in this passage is eulogeo, meaning to speak well. Jesus surrendered the meager resource in his hands–loaves of bread–and spoke well of it. He called what God had provided “good,” even in the face of thousands of hungry people.
If you surrender your life to God and speak well of it, you will be a candidate for His blessing. I served as the youth camp director in New Hampshire many years ago, and I remember a high school-aged young man named Rodney. He came from a troubled home in a rough section of Boston. He always seemed to find trouble and, generally, was a nuisance.
One evening, after the revival meeting, he was stirring up trouble in the back of the chapel. Prompted by the Lord, I approached him and put my hand on his shoulder. I looked into his eyes and spoke a blessing by telling him all the good qualities I saw in him. I expounded on the great things God wanted to do in his life. Then, I walked away, leaving him in God’s hands.
Back to Jesus and the hungry people: Watch what happens next as Christ broke the loaves and the fishes. It’s in the breaking that multiplication occurs, and fresh life oozes out. Jesus does the same thing with people–he breaks them to cause them to grow.
Blessing flows to us from God when we allow him to break us—just ask Jesus. Shattered in the garden of Gethsemane, crushed on the cross and wounded for our transgressions, Christ is the ultimate demonstration of brokenness that produces fruitfulness.
Breaking and blessing are God’s formula for success. Allow Jesus to take your life and surrender to Him. Christ will receive you and break you. Then he will speak a blessing over you, offering you up to God like the loaves and fish.
Remember Rodney? Our paths crossed again some 30 years later. My daughter and grandson went to a youth camp in Southern Ohio. They were excited because a dynamic young preacher was speaking. The preacher’s name? Rodney. Yep, the same trouble-maker Rodney I knew long ago. He told my daughter the blessing that I said changed him and turned him toward the Lord. Never underestimate the power your words of blessing have toward God and others.
You have the power to share good words this year at your Thanksgiving table. Pray over the food and the people. More importantly, speak a blessing into the lives of the people seated there. Speak well of them. Call them good and thank God for the miracles germinating in their lives.
Dave Holland pastored churches for more than 38 years before retiring in the area. He recently released his new devotional-Bible study based on the Gospel of Luke called “Every Day Jesus: Experience the Jesus Who Ignites Your Soul.” You can get a copy of this book from his website, DaveHolland.org, or by contacting him at davidvholland54@gmail.com. Pastor Dave is available to preach and teach in churches and conferences.
