“Everything I need to know about God, I learned from a tuna sandwich.
I went through a divorce 1998-2000. Had been out in the field and came home to an empty house, no furniture, no food, nothing. I did my drawings for a week on my stomach lying on the kitchen floor. One day back at the office, after several days of not eating, I prayed to Him to just let me find some food and time to eat it. Before I could say “Amen”, there was a knock at my office door and a colleague came in with surplus tuna sandwiches from a Lunch + Learn. I will never forget that moment. Even though I didn’t come to God, He came to me.” Jack
And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all (Mark 6:41)
And they did all eat, and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets of the fragments, and of the fishes. And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men (Mark 6:42-44)
Dear reader, I heard the most astounding story today, from a tenacious never give up no matter the circumstances man. I had a little cry this morning, when I realized with joy, how tender, how attentive, how available God is to us, when we ask for His attendance to our needs. My new acquaintance Jack, gave me an earthly reminder, of God’s heavenly care, and I couldn’t help but marvel at the intricate connectivity between Jack’s hunger, and Jesus’ words and ultimate proof of His identity as God incarnate.
Think for a moment on Jack’s statement at the end of the quote above:
“Even though I didn’t come to God, He came to me.”
Yes, God went to Jack, and before this, He came as the Christ, the Messiah, the Saviour of the world. God, dear reader, is in our midst, and has never left us. He feels our hurt, heals our hearts, and fills the void, when we cry out in hunger, not only for food, but for a God that willingly answers our desperate prayers when we cannot seem to do basic things for ourselves (ie shopping for, preparing, and eating food), while in emotional, psychological, physical + spiritual turmoil.
Jack reminded me of my own desperate pleas for help, comfort, and provision, in my greatest times of need. I ask you, dear one, have you too, had this kind of experience, where you felt God came to you and gave you exactly what you needed when you needed it, just because you asked?
Think now, about Jack’s colleague, an unwitting, or perhaps even, a purposeful disciple. Jack was alone in his office, door closed, hunger distracting him from his work, when a knock came at his door. Much to his surprise, fish in bread… dear reader, soak this in now, fish and loaves, fish and bread, was delivered, immediately after Jack’s prayer, and before his “Amen.” Jack’s colleague was soulfully synchronized with God’s answer to prayer: in other words, the timing was gloriously purrfect! Just like when Jesus fed the five thousand, who didn’t have to go to market, bake the bread, or grill the fish, Jack didn’t have to assemble that sandwich! All he had to do, was eat, and marvel at the goodness of prayers answered. Do recall this amazing tidbit of similarity:
surplus tuna sandwiches + And they did all eat, and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets of the fragments, and of the fishes = God’s abundant provision
God has been in the fish sandwich business for a very lonnnnnng time. And today, I am grateful, because I needed to recall what modern day miracles look and sound like: they are echos from the past, dear one! God NEVER changes, and we humans can depend on this truism, especially when we feel fragile and ill equipped to face alarming circumstances in a world gone crazy.
I will end this piece of writing with Jack’s words, and scripture from the top of the page, just in case you are craving a tuna fish sandwich!
“God gave me a sandwich when that’s the only thing I needed”…
If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give a serpent? (Luke 11:11)
