Daily Devotions

Thursday, July 30, 2026

Now when Jesus heard [that King Herod had murdered John the Baptist], He withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by Himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed Him on foot from the towns. When He went ashore He saw a great crowd, and He had compassion on them and healed their sick. Now when it was evening, the disciples came to Him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They said to Him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” And He said, “Bring them here to Me.” Then He ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. (Matthew 14:13-21)

Every time I read this story I’m impressed. Because the story starts with Jesus grieving for His cousin, John the Baptist—who has just had his head cut off by King Herod. Jesus is as human as we are, so He’s doubtless in a state of shock and sadness. He wants to get away by Himself. But it isn’t going to happen. When He tries, the crowds guess where He’s going and turn up there before He can even get off the boat!

If it had been me, I would have just turned the boat around and gone somewhere else. But not Jesus. He feels compassion for them. So He teaches them about God and heals their sick people, and even feeds them when they get hungry. He meets their needs all day long, because He loves them. Then, finally, Jesus takes the time He needs for His own needs—going up a mountain to pray alone.

As I said, I’m impressed—but also a bit freaked out. Because when the needs of other people press in on me, I don’t handle it with the grace Jesus does. I get tired and cranky, and I hit the bottom of my resources very quickly. And I’m guessing you do, too. Five loaves and a couple of fish don’t go very far in our hands!

But in Jesus’ hands, things change. We can’t face the roar of human need on our own. But Jesus says to us who trust in Him, “Bring what you have to Me.” And we do. We bring everything to Him, because He’s the only one who can take what we have, what we are—and turn it into a blessing. He can do that because He is the Savior of the world—the One who came to give His life for all of us, so that we might share His resurrection and live forever. We aren’t enough; but Jesus is enough.

WE PRAY: Lord, You are the Messiah, not me. Let me look to You, and You work through me however You see best. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Reflection Questions:

1. Are you ever tempted to rely on your own resources to meet human needs?
2. If so, how well does that work for you?
3. Tell about a time when you relied on Jesus instead of on your own abilities. How did that go?

Today's Readings:

Psalms 113-115
1 Thessalonians 3

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