If you follow the news, you will probably be aware that a number of economists are predicting pending shortages of food and fuel. This is because of the ongoing stalemate over the war in Iran, and the Iranian regime’s chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz.
The headlines are designed to elicit fear. Their suggestions of scarcity are created to make people panic. But they fail to factor in God!
So I just want to share two ‘light through the cracks‘ stories about God’s miraculous multiplication, because I want to raise your faith in Jesus, in the event that we find ourselves facing food insecurity in the near future …
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The first story comes from a missionary couple who are based in Moldova, one of the nations that neighbours Ukraine. It dates back four years, to the weeks following the start of the war in Ukraine – and they are sharing it with a group of us who have gathered in the UK to hear them speak.
As the war took hold, many Ukrainians fled across the border into Moldova – and God started to lead a steady stream of refugees to the home of the Moldovan missionary couple.
“Over the course of three weeks, we kept finding people arriving at our front door,” the husband tells us. “God had brought them to us, but we had barely any provisions, apart from a 500g packet of pasta and some herbs in the garden.”
“We knew it was God who was highlighting our house to these people, and we wanted to offer them hospitality,” the wife adds, “so all we could do was pray in the name of Jesus.”
Every night, as yet more visitors arrived, they would take their 500g packet of pasta, give thanks to God for it and ask him to multiply it. Then they would tip the pasta into a saucepan, remove a handful and put back in the packet, before adding water to the saucepan. When the pasta was cooked, they would add some herbs from the garden.
As they gathered their guests around the table, they would pray over the pasta-and-herbs in front of them, giving thanks to God for his provision. Then they would serve it and, no matter how many were sitting there, they always had enough to eat.
Every night, they would follow the same rhythm. Every night, the pasta and herbs kept going. Every night, God supplied their needs.
“The pasta and herbs only ran out when we no longer had any refugees turning up at our house,” the wife says.
“It went on for more than three weeks,” her husband adds, “and it was incredible to witness it.”
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The second story comes from a woman called Jean who, although British by birth, has lived almost her entire life in Zimbabwe – and it dates back to when I was working for an international children’s charity, about twenty years ago.
Jean leads a project for orphans and vulnerable children, and we are both attending a conference for people working with children at risk. Joining the meal queue at the same time, Jean and I get talking, and she soon starts telling me a wonderful ‘light through the cracks‘ story.
During a time of hyper-inflation, the Zimbabwean currency had become worthless and food prices had skyrocketed, so that feeding the children was an increasingly expensive enterprise.
At one point, they had almost no money available in their bank account, but they spent what they had to buy what they could, in order to feed the children.
“We decided to make a stew, using the vegetables and the little bit of meat that we had bartered for at the market,” she tells me, “but we knew it wasn’t going to be enough.”
Pleading with God for a miracle, in Jesus’ name, they asked him to stretch the stew to feed all the children.
Then when the time came to serve, the children lined up, bowls in hands – and the workers watched in wonder as ladle after ladle was dished out of the pan containing the stew.
“God was multiplying that stew, right in front of our eyes,” Jean tells me, “and it only ran out after the very last person had been fed.”
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How do you feel about the possibility of food insecurity? Does it make any difference to have read these two ‘light through the cracks‘ stories? Why do you think this might be?
My prayer in sharing them is to help you respond with faith, rather than fear, when food insecurity comes to this nation – because God is in the business of miraculous multiplication, and he has promised his people that, “in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.” (Psalm 37:19)
As ever, constructive comments are welcome below.
Photo from Eaters Collective via Unsplash
