Because of Jesus’s authority, we can trust Him to meet all our needs.

SCRIPTURE | MATTHEW 14:13-21

CENTRAL TRUTH

We struggle to be satisfied in Jesus because we fall for the lie that the things of this world will make us happy. We worry that we’ll miss out, that we need Jesus plus something else. Satisfaction in Jesus is better than the short-lived happiness of this world.

KEY QUESTION

The people ate and were “satisfied” (v. 20). What does it look like to be satisfied in Jesus? Why do we struggle to be satisfied in Him? 

KEEP IN MIND

You may have students who have experienced God meeting their needs in big ways. But some of your students have watched as God took care of other people’s needs and felt like He hasn’t met their needs. They may come from really difficult situations, like abuse, neglect, or poverty. We must be sensitive to these students who are asking, “Does God really care about me?” Like Adam and Eve in the garden, instead of trusting God and taking Him at His Word, they may believe the lies of the enemy: “If God really loved you, He would give you         .” They question if God is withholding good things from them. When these thoughts settle down into their hearts, they usually begin to take matters into their own hands, attempting to meet their needs apart from Jesus. We must help them realize that looking to anything or anyone but Jesus to meet our needs will leave us empty. He has met our deepest need for salvation, and He cares for and sees our other needs as well.

APPLICATION

What needs do you need to bring to Jesus, trusting He will do what’s best for you? 

THE WIN

FOR THE STUDENT: When students leave their needs at Jesus’s feet, releasing them from their hands and their control, they will experience God providing in ways they can’t even begin to imagine. He is good, and He does what is good for His children.

FOR THE LEADER: Consider the moments when what you saw or held in your hands didn’t feel like enough, yet God provided. Recall and share with students how God has cared for you.