40 Days of Prayer
Bread and Leftovers 

"Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way." 
Matthew 15:32 ESV

"Augustine says we're doomed to restlessness apart from God; Pascal sees an infinite abyss inside us that only God can fill; and we're all hard-wired for a quest after God, Paul D Tripp echoes. And all of this is proven, C.S. Lewis argues, when our very own deepest desires go unfulfilled." Tullian Tchividjian, Jesus+Nothing= Everything

The people came to Jesus because of their great need. They brought their lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and laid them all at Jesus' feet. It was Jesus, however, who perceived their hunger. In this second major mass feeding, Jesus is not just revealing that He is the great sympathizer, but He also deeply desires that His disciples share in this great compassion. The disciples focused on what they did not have -- any bread. But Jesus was redirecting their heart to see what they did have - Jesus.

They rummaged around and found seven loaves and a few small fish - for four thousand. Jesus gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to give to the people. They all ate (disciples too), were all satisfied, and gathered seven baskets of leftovers - they ended with more food than they started. We have an abyss of need within our hearts, but as we serve others as directed by Jesus, we will have more than our fill in His name.