More From Hilary Allen

Have you ever read a familiar Bible passage and thought that there was nothing fresh for you to take away? That was my attitude as I engaged in a session on Listening to God, where the well-known miracle of the feeding of the five thousand was re-told. This is a story I have heard repeatedly from my childhood Sunday school days and on. However in the session, we were invited to become part of the story, to imagine listening to Jesus. We were encouraged to think about the people involved, such as the disciples and the little boy offering his food, and to register our feelings. What caught our attention? What it was like to be fed? How did we react to a miracle? I first had to stop my thoughts from jumping to conclusions and simply just put myself in the narrative as it was told. I considered what it would have been like to be on the hillside amongst so many people, absorbed by Jesus’ words. That’s when I found myself at the back of the crowd and aware of my own feelings. It was both powerful and profound to appreciate my reactions to Jesus’ miracle. But deep down I was thinking of myself. Would there be enough food for me? Would I be fed? Or would it all be gobbled up before a basket reached me? I felt a huge relief in seeing plenty of baskets with more than enough food! I wasn’t left out.

I subsequently took those thoughts into the present. God doesn’t pass any one of us by. God is a generous, plenteous God. No one is left out. God has more than enough riches in glory to bless everyone. There is always overflowing steadfast love and complete forgiveness for all to receive. God’s grace is sufficient. 

Since I spent time absorbing that passage, other passages or verses have also taken on deeper truths. I have found myself reflecting on the people involved and what is must have been like to be there, to be a part of the narrative. Or I think about the phrase which comes to my attention, or a word I hadn’t considered before. As you read the Bible, I would encourage you to ask God to meet with you and to speak to you in love. Try not to allow the familiarity of a passage obscure what God would say to you today. Allow God’s words to enter your mind and heart to make a difference. God always has more truth and light to share with us as we read scripture. 

I treasure reading the Bible because there is so much wisdom and truth, so many fresh insights from the Holy Spirit, and so much to receive, act upon, and grow into. There is always more than enough.