“He said this to test him, He Himself knew what He was going to do.”- {John 6:6}
A man wrote me and asked,”How is it when we see no way out, then we want to give up…?” Using John 6, I shared with him the following, hope it encourages you. In the test, we often look at the circumstances, lean to our own understanding and if we can’t “see” a way it can be done, then we often conclude it can’t and can spiral down into despair, anxiety. We can be tempted to view life as though He is not in control or He doesn’t care, or He cannot be trusted. In John 6:1-9 He asks them a question to draw out what was in their heart, not that He may know, but they may know and see that every circumstance requires faith. Faith,reliance in self or the Savior. They chose faith in self. In His kindness He continues to show Himself faithful and feeds the multitudes so “all” were “satisfied.” He was seeking to build up their faith. He places a high value on faith in Him for it glorifies Him when we grow in faith {Rom 4:21}. It pleases Him.{Heb 11:6}. We all exercise faith, and like the disciples it is often misplaced in self rather than the Savior. We tend to forget Him in the testing and what He has done previously that should cause us to flee and appeal and rest in Him. Jesus was seeking to draw out their faith, but first their false reliance in self was exposed with all it’s limitations, and yet He kindly continues on and the circumstances were just the means, to develop their faith as He revealed Himself to them. He is always after seeking to develop our faith in Him. And tests come as opportunities to know Him better and lean on Him more. And there is comfort in the word, “He tested him for He Himself knew what He was going to do.”– V6, are a good reminder to us all. In every test, we can know, He knows… what He is going to do. He is active …in the test {of faith,}. He is active in the ways of training us His ways of faith. He could have spoke and immediately the multitudes were fed, without the test, or immediately, but He chose to have the disciples actively participate and “see” close up what He was doing. His delays do not mean He is denying or not caring or not working. The test of faith, often is producing in us the perseverance to trust Him. And to comfort ourselves when we don’t know what to do, we do know “He Himself knows what He is going to do”-{v 6}