Five Loaves and Two Fish: Our God of Miracles and Multiplication
I’m waiting to see God’s multiplication and provision in a particular area of my life. I could strive according to the world’s standards and seek outside counsel to conquer some of these worldly systems for growth, but those methods always leave a bad taste in my mouth. Climbing the ladder through stress and striving does not seem to be the way God calls us to live.
Recently, while reading an illustrated Bible story to my children, the story of Gideon and his 300 men seemed to jump off the page and speak directly to my heart. Gideon was pursuing the Midianites, who vastly outnumbered the Israelites—over 135,000 to just 32,000. But God told Gideon He didn’t want Israel to boast that victory had come from their own strength. It would be by the hand of the Lord alone.
So Gideon dismissed all the soldiers who were afraid to go into battle. Yet even then, there were still too many. In an unconventional way, God instructed Gideon to bring the men down to the water. The way they drank—lapping like a dog or cupping water with their hands—became the method by which God chose just 300 soldiers to bring victory for Israel. God's ways are not the conventional ways of the world.
Like the story of Gideon, the miracle of the five loaves and two fish found in all four Gospels shows that Jesus works in supernatural ways. When the crowd gathered to hear Jesus teach about healing and the reign of God, the disciples pointed out that it was a “deserted” and “lonely place.” Their solution was to send the listeners away to buy their own bread.
But Jesus responded, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.”
They found a boy with five loaves and two fish but questioned, “What are these for so many?”
Jesus had the crowd sit down in groups of hundreds and fifties. The story is remembered as the feeding of the 5,000, but that number didn’t even include the women and children—there could have been upwards of 15,000 to 20,000 people present.
Jesus looked to heaven, gave thanks, and blessed the loaves and fish. As the disciples distributed the food, “they all ate and were satisfied” and had “as much as they wished.” Nothing was wasted. Twelve baskets of leftovers were gathered. This miracle became a sign that Jesus was “truly the Prophet who is to come into the world” (Deuteronomy 18:15).
Here’s what I’m learning from this passage:
The place I am in may feel deserted and lonely. This is exactly the setting God often uses for miracles because it is beyond what the world can provide.
I need to account for the resources I do have.
I must be willing to offer what I have to God and trust that in His hands it can be used and multiplied into abundance.It’s okay to take account of what I need. Just as the crowds were seated and counted beforehand, I too can take inventory of what I desire and lift it to the Lord.
Our God delivers in abundance. He is generous beyond mere satisfaction. He gives more than enough.
He performs miracles to make it clear that it is Him—not us—who makes the impossible possible. We give God all the glory for His goodness.
Is it possible God won’t choose to perform a miracle or bring multiplication every time? Yes. But even in that, we can trust that He is working for the best interest of those He loves.
My lesson for today is this: to know and trust in the character of God. He is a God of miracles and multiplication, and His ways are divinely supernatural—not rooted in the striving systems of the world.
5 Loaves + 2 Fish: God of Miracles & Mulitplication
To help me remember these truths daily, I created a bracelet as part of my 568 Collection: Beads with Meaning. It’s called the Five Loaves and Two Fish Bracelet. The name 568 comes from Deuteronomy 6:8 which says, “Tie them as symbols on your hands.” This limited edition, made-to-order design features:
Two blue beads to represent the fish
Five brown beads for the loaves
Green spacer beads are a reminder of God’s flourishing and growth
You can select your perfect fit—each one is created to encourage your faith and remind you of the God miracles who multiplies.
