A little girl asked one of life's most vital
questions one day. She'd been learning the Lord's
Prayer, but she had not heard distinctly. And
so she began this way. Our Father who art in
heaven, how did you know my name? Isn't it the
most thrilling? the most wonderful thing in the
world, to know that he knows you and he knows
me by name. And it's just like that. The other
day, someone in my office said, the Lord knows
I've tried. And I thought to myself, yes, the
Lord does know. And how many times have you said,
the Lord knows or God knows? Usually we use these
words as a slang expression, not fully realizing
that we have set forth a great truth, a marvelous
truth. The Lord does know. Believe me. I give
you that as a fact upon the authority of God's
word. Centuries before Jesus, it was Job. who
cried out in his agony, but he knoweth the way
that I must take. Job knew it. Job had full knowledge
of this glorious fact that God knew the way that
he, Job, had to take. And just hours before Jesus
went away, Into heaven he was talking with his
disciples on the seashore, and he was questioning
Peter about his love. And in his impatience,
Peter said something that was very profound.
Lord, thou knowest all things. And over and over
again, the Bible confirms that truth. Only I
could get you to see it this hour. It would make
all the difference in the world, in your life,
in your living, when you have to confront problems
and troubles and difficulties. The Bible says
it very simply. The psalmist tells us that God
knows the stars. Matthew says that the very hairs
of our heads are all numbered. Think of it. The
very hairs on your head. are all numbered of
the lord he knows you so completely so thoroughly
that even the hairs on your head are all numbered
of him luke tells us that he marks the fall of
a sparrow not a little tiny bird is fallen to
the earth but what the lord knows all about That
falling sparrow, that little bird, and is with
that bird when it falls. John tells us that he
calleth his sheep by name. Therefore, the little
girl wasn't so far wrong when she prayed the
Lord's Prayer. The Lord, who art in heaven, how
did you know my name? Sure, he knows your name.
He knoweth his sheep by name. But now watch something.
God knows. God cares. But one thing more. God
supplies the power that we need for living these
days. That's right. No one of us is a match for
the circumstances of this world. Not one. There
are material needs to be met. There are physical
needs to be met. There are victories that must
be fought and won. Battles, there isn't a single
one of us but what has battles. And sometimes
I think the greatest battles ever fought and
won are never fought on some battlefield but
the greatest battles ever fought. or in the human
heart. And the thing that I'm trying to get you
to see is this, that God is not only interested
in our spiritual welfare. Oh, there are tens
of thousands of people who think of him only
in terms of being interested in our spiritual
welfare. That's good. That's wonderful. But know
something. He is also interested in our physical
welfare and in our material welfare. You say
to me, do you mean that he's interested in the
house rent? Do you mean that he's interested
in my job, in my paycheck? Indeed I do. I can
prove to you that he's even interested in your
bread and butter. How can that be? What something?
To me, the feeding of the 5 ,000 was truly a
marvelous miracle. But aside from the miracle
of the feeding of the 5 ,000, the thing that
concerns me most is the fact that Jesus was interested
in the hunger of those people. Oh, we put such
emphasis on the feeding of the 5 ,000 and say,
how could it be that 5 ,000 were fed with the
five loaves and the two little fishes that the
lad had in his lunch bucket? I know that's marvelous,
but to me that's very secondary. Believe me.
The marvel of it all. is the fact that the very
son of the living God was interested in the hunger
of the people. The mighty creator interested
in the hunger of man. Let me read just three
verses. And when the day began to wear away,
then came the twelve and said unto him, Send
the multitude away. Even the disciples were not
interested in the hunger of the people. Send
them away. Don't bother with the master. Send
them away that they may go into the towns and
the country round about and lodge and get littles.
For, We are here in a desert place. They're tired.
They're hungry. They've been here so long. Send
them away. They haven't eaten today. We're in
a desert place and there's nothing for them to
eat here. Maybe they can find a place to eat
elsewhere. But he said unto them, that's Jesus
speaking now, and watch this. All to me, this
is the most important part of the miracle. Not
the blessing and the multiplying of the five
loaves and the two fishes, no. But the deep love
and concern of the one who cared. All the pity,
the compassion. Watch it. But he said unto them,
give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no
more but five loaves and two fishes, except we
should go and buy meat for all these people.
For they were about five thousand men. And he
said to disciples, Make them sit down by fifties
in a company. And they did so, and made them
all sit down. Then he took the five loaves and
the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he
blessed them in break and gave to the disciples
to set before the multitude. And they did eat
and were all filled. Do you want to know what
Jesus is really like? Do you want to know how
concerned he is about your bread and butter Eat
at your house. There's many a man without a job
today. There's many a worried family. Remember
something. The master is concerned as to whether
or not you eat at your house. He's interested
in your bread and your butter, believe me. Not
only is he interested in your spiritual welfare,
but he's interested in your material needs being
supplied in exactly the same way that he's interested
in the physical needs being taken care of. God
knows, God cares, and God supplies the power
that we need for every circumstance in our life.
Not one of us is a match for the circumstances
of our world. Believe me, that's true. How puny
we are, and how often the mercy of forces that
we cannot control. Our one hope is to attach
ourselves to a power superior to ourselves. Obviously,
material forces are not adequate, though countless
millions measure power in terms of money and
things. But we cannot rely upon or use the naked
power of the natural world about us. Social power
is of no avail in our times of soul need. The
secret of inner power is to be in harmony with
the great God of the universe. He knows. He knows
us. He knows you. He cares about us. And he supplies
the power that we need. Listen to me. People
who really put Christianity into practice, really,
Really put Christianity into practice. Discover
that it works in all circumstances of life. You
know, many of us think that religion is doing
something for God. Listen to me. At its best,
religion is God doing something for us. It is
true that God helps those... who help themselves.
It is also true that God helps those who cannot
help themselves. In Christianity at its best,
God does something for, something in, and something
through those that trust him. And it's just like
that. Listen. Paul says, I can do all things
through Christ who strengtheneth me. That, my
friend, is religion at its best. I can do all
things through Christ. No man, no woman need...
ever be defeated on a single score, whether it's
a material need, a physical need, or a spiritual
need. No person need ever be defeated as long
as God is still on his throne and hears and answers
prayer. Amen.