Mark 6:30–44
When you read Mark chapter 6, where Jesus feeds the five thousand, you can see a clear pattern of how He works before He performs a miracle.
Here are three signs that Jesus might be getting ready to do something amazing in your life.
1. You’ve Been Busy Doing the Work
Mark 6:30–31, “And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.”
Before the miracle ever happened, the disciples had already been out working hard for Jesus. They were teaching, healing, and doing exactly what He asked them to do. They came back to Him excited about everything they had done.
That’s often the first sign that something big is coming. When you’ve been faithfully doing what God told you to do, serving, teaching, loving others, He often takes that obedience and turns it into an opportunity for a miracle.
Elijah did the same thing. Before God sent fire from heaven, Elijah rebuilt the altar, poured out water, and called on the name of the LORD. He did his part first, and then God showed His power.
1 Kings 18:38, “Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust…”
Faithful obedience always comes before God’s greatest works.
2. You’ve Reached the End of Your Strength
Mark 6:32, “And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.”
The disciples were worn out. They had been serving so much that they didn’t even have time to eat. That’s usually where Jesus steps in, when we’ve reached our limit.
God often waits until we can’t handle it anymore before He shows His power. Gideon found this out when God cut his army from 32,000 men down to just 300. God wanted Gideon to know that the victory wasn’t from his own strength, it was from the Lord.
Judges 7:7, “And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you…”
Paul also experienced this truth.
2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
When you’ve done all you can and still come up short, that’s when Jesus shows up and reminds you that His strength is enough.
3. When You Have Nothing, God Turns It Into Something
Mark 6:36–38, “Send them away, that they may go into the country round about… But he answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat.”
The disciples looked at the crowd and realized they didn’t have enough food. Just five loaves and two fish. But Jesus took that little offering and turned it into more than enough for thousands.
That’s how God works. When we bring what little we have and place it in His hands, He multiplies it.
A poor widow saw it too in 1 Kings 17 when she used the last of her meal and oil to feed Elijah. God took her little and made it last until the famine was over.
1 Kings 17:14, “For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail…”
When you have nothing left but faith, that’s enough for God to create something miraculous.
The Miracle
Mark 6:41–44, “And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves… And they did all eat, and were filled.”
A young boy gave his small lunch, and Jesus used it to feed thousands. Everyone ate until they were full, and there were twelve baskets left over.
The Pattern Throughout Scripture
You can see this same pattern all through the Bible. Over and over, God waits until people come to the end of themselves, then He steps in and does something only He can do. When Abraham and Sarah were far too old to have children, God gave them Isaac (Genesis 21:2). When Moses stood trapped between Pharaoh’s army and the Red Sea, God parted the waters so they could walk through on dry ground (Exodus 14:21). When Hannah was heartbroken and barren, God gave her Samuel after years of prayer (1 Samuel 1:20).
The widow who fed Elijah had nothing but a handful of meal and a little oil, yet God kept it from ever running out (1 Kings 17:14). Gideon faced an army of thousands with only three hundred men, and God gave him the victory (Judges 7:7). Peter fished all night and caught nothing, but when Jesus told him to cast his net again, he pulled up so many fish that the nets began to break (Luke 5:6).
And it doesn’t stop there. When Lazarus had been dead for four days, Jesus called him out of the grave and gave him life again (John 11:43–44). When it seemed like all hope was gone and the tomb was sealed, God rolled the stone away, and Jesus rose from the dead (Matthew 28:6).
From beginning to end, the pattern is the same. When everything looks impossible, when you’ve done all you can and it still isn’t enough, that’s usually the moment God is about to do something amazing.
Before God does something great, He often lets us reach the end of ourselves. He waits until we’ve given all we can and have nothing left to offer. That’s when He steps in.
If you’ve been faithful, if you’re tired, and if you feel like you’ve got nothing left, you might be standing right on the edge of a miracle.
Mark 10:27, “With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”
