Take nothing for your journey. That doesn’t sound like the advice of prudence. Jesus didn’t follow man’s wisdom.

I remember stressing when we were first going overseas. The things I was fussing about was what we were going to wear and what we were going to eat. Those are, of course, things Jesus tells us specifically not to worry about and points out God provides. I ended up blessing all the other missionaries with food items I had brought along and never needed. They were happy for things from America. I was happy with things from Macedonia.

Jesus doesn’t stress about things. We should all be like Him! He withdrew from the crowds with His disciples, but when the crowds just follow them, He welcomes them. There’s no “me time” in the Kingdom of God.

The disciples don’t come to Jesus asking for a break. They come to Jesus with a concern for the people. Do they think they care more than Love Himself? They tell Jesus what to do. Do you ever pray like that?

“Send the crowd away.” They see the need and have the plan to fix the problem. That’s not the way to pray. We present the need to God, put it in His hands, and thank Him for taking care of it. Then we leave it in His hands.

Jesus prayed a blessing and the lack turned to abundance. The disciples leave with a basket enough for each of them.

I love the tidbit in Luke about gathering the leftover broken pieces. They all have value and purpose in God’s kingdom!

We take up our cross and follow Jesus, and our death can come with pain and loss. But, we must always remember there are no wasted pieces in God’s economy. He uses it all for our good and His glory.

Put all the broken pieces in Jesus’ hands. He’ll speak the blessing over them and transform them into abundant life.