God is Still God

A Reflection for Wednesday, April 2 by Jillian Evans

Lectionary reading for April 02, 2025: Psalm 53; 2 Kings 4:1-7; Luke 9:10-17;

Selected passage for reflection: Luke 9:10-17

Read

Luke 9:10-17, New International Version

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

10 When the disciples returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, 11 but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.12 Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.”13 He replied, “You give them something to eat.”They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” 14 (About five thousand men were there.)But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15 The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. 16 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. 17 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve baskets full of broken pieces that were left over.

Reflect

Currently, we are living in a political climate that has major changes almost daily. Regardless of how we feel about the current administration, one theme that we can agree on is the uncertainty of the state of our union. At the time of this writing, the nation was dealing with plane crashes and uncertainty of employment for our federal workers. Our political parties are miles apart in how they view a future for the United States, making bipartisan agreements extremely challenging. I have no idea what the future holds for our country and its people, but God does. We as Christians cannot forget that God is still in control.

In today’s scripture selection, we see the disciples working alongside Jesus. In this chapter, we see the disciples go from just observing Jesus’ ministry to participating in His mission. They had previously witnessed His power and understood his capabilities. However, in this passage they questioned Jesus. The disciples wanted Jesus to send the people to get some food. Jesus replied by telling the disciples to give the people food. Remember that this was Jesus talking and yet the disciples told Him that they didn’t think it was enough. I imagine that in today’s language, Jesus would have told them “I said what I said.” But what actually happened was He looked up to Heaven, gave thanks, and had the disciples distribute the food. It should be no surprise that there was not just enough food but there were twelve baskets of food left over. 

The disciples had been following Jesus and relying on the hospitality of others but were uncertain on that day how their provisions would be met. They initially relied on their earthly ways to come to a solution, but Jesus looked to Heaven for their provisions. Life is not much different for us today. As we are living in unprecedented times, we do not know what each day will bring. But if we keep our spiritual eyes turned to Heaven, God will provide.

Respond 

Visualize for a moment- What would it look like if you walked around with an attitude of victory in the midst of a storm? What would you wear? What would you say? How can your trial change into a testimony about the goodness of God?

For deeper thought: What did it mean to you when you read “God is still God”?  What have you been crying out to God about? What does the Bible say about your situation? Are there any lessons that God is teaching you along the way? Can you think of a time that God brought you through a trying time? 

Rest

Dear God,

I come humbly before you in all of my imperfections to honor you Lord God Almighty.  O God, You are my God; with deepest longing I will seek You. God, please forgive me where I have wronged and teach me Your ways. As I look forward to the Easter celebration, please help me to remember your faithfulness to me and the gift of Your Son Jesus.

In Jesus’ name

Amen

About the Author 

Spiritual Director Jillian Evans

Jillian Evans resides in Chicago, Illinois with her husband and one of her three adult children. She is passionate about ministering to children, youth, and their families. Jillian holds degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and North Park Theological Seminary as well as a certificate in Spiritual Direction from C. John Weborg Center for Spiritual Direction at NPTS.