Matthew 15:32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”

Several things stand out to me from this verse. The first is that Jesus was concerned about people’s physical well being, not just healing, and He wanted His disciples to know it. The second is actually the flip side of that, because this didn’t come up until three days had passed. He wasn’t interested in pampering people! As I read it, the problem was that the people had used up whatever supplies they had brought with them, not that they hadn’t had any in the first place. Their focus on Jesus and what He was doing was enough to make them forget physical comforts, and they were praising God, and Jesus honored that. When churches today focus on physical comfort, the probability is high that they aren’t very focused on God and what He is doing. Uncomfortable church buildings do make it more difficult to pay attention to what is being taught, but luxury should never be a priority. In the situation presented here, there was reason to believe people might collapse from hunger, so feeding them was hardly a matter of luxury.

I haven’t been particularly involved in meeting physical needs, except on an individual basis at times, but I am not to overlook that when God gives me that opportunity. I personally think our facilities are comfortable enough without being luxurious, but I do need to be on my guard that physical considerations don’t get in the way of worship or teaching the Word. My goal should be that the end result of everything we do here would be people praising God and drawing close to Him.

Father, several people in this church have come under attack over the past week or more. I take that as an indication that we are making the devil anxious, so I praise You! I ask for wisdom in guiding the people to focus on You rather than on the attacks, so that You alone may be glorified. I do ask for physical and emotional healing for each one, and I ask that You turn each situation around for blessing and the advancement of Your kingdom. I pray that the needs would be met and that hearts would be more and more open to You, trusting You regardless of immediate circumstances, so that all of Your purposes may be fulfilled for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!