“And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds and by fifties” (Mark 6: 40).
In Mathew 14:19 there is a divine order. “And he commanded the multiple to sit down on the grass.” It is not a simple job to serve food to a multitude. They all flock to one person, and say: “Give me first”. It was not an easy thing to control such a great and hungry multitude. So the Lord commanded that they had to sit down in order. We cannot do the work of God without order. People do not like divine order. They rebel against God’s Word, but the servants of God have got to see that divine order is maintained wherever they seek to serve God. We have to follow divine order if we want hungry people to be fed, and to be satisfied through our labour. Let us not rebel against divine order. God is the God of order and we must learn to work in divine order and to see that divine order is maintained. We must learn this simple secret of maintaining order in the House of God. We should show reverence and respect for the House of God. If we have learned how to come into the House of God, how to kneel and show reverence, then we can learn divine order. Often the leaders find it difficult to control the young people even in ordinary Sunday gathering. Those who do not follow divine order, seek to bring in man’s order everywhere. But God’s people must not rebel against divine order in the House of God. God’s servants must learn how to bring in God’s order and when divine order is maintained, those who love God will not rebel against it. It is only when the Lord’s order is maintained that the Lord blesses the ministry.
From Matt. 14:21 it appears that men sat on one side and women and children on the other because it is said that the men were about 5000. God has an order for family life, for church life and for weekly and Sunday gatherings. When divine order is maintained there is an opportunity for God to bless. Our Lord looked up to heaven and blessed the bread and brake it. Unless things are blessed by God, they cannot satisfy. God blesses whenever you claim that blessing. Almost all Christians have the habit of saying grace before they have food, but though they claim God’s blessings, they often do not believe God has blessed the food because they seem to get much more joy in mutton than in dhal. If you believe the Lord has blessed your food you will get equal joy in any kind of food. Instead, how often you scold your wife if there is no mutton or fish or anything else according to your taste. People pray solemnly, “God bless the food”, but have no faith that God will do so. I believe from experience, from the time the Lord saved me, that I no longer worry about my food. I do not care what kind of food is given to me I will never murmur or grumble. I believe from my heart the Lord blesses the food for me and it becomes good for me, and I can enjoy the food whatever it may be, and it is quite true that the Lord does bless the food when you ask Him.