Disaster movies often have a “don’t panic” scene. The hero or heroine is trying to organize the others to escape the oncoming disaster, but somebody loses his or her head and starts screaming about how they’re all going to die. “Don’t panic!” shouts the one in charge, often slapping the panicky one.

Generally speaking, it’s probably good advice—not the slapping part, but “don’t panic!” Don’t let fear paralyze you so that you do nothing. Don’t let fear make you over-react so that you do lots of unhelpful things.

I can remember getting my hair cut right before my daughter’s wedding. I sat in the chair while the lady got the clippers together. As she started cutting, I heard her say, “Oops.” She had used a setting that was too short. Was there a sense of panic? There was for a moment or two, but in the end, there was nothing she or I could do. What was done was done and the only recourse was for her to continue using the clippers at the setting she had started with.

Panic can cause us to make irrational decisions. Instead of responding to a situation, we react and may do something or say something that can cause more damage or pain. If you stay focused on problem-solving, things go better. But it is bad advice to stay too calm as well; too unruffled, when there is a true disaster shaping up.

How many people die or get hurt when everyone panics? When there are issues in buildings with large numbers of people or in athletic stadiums when an emergency takes place, how many are trampled in the chaos? In the end, a calm response might save many lives.

John’s versions of the pair of miracles in John 6 both have a crisis at their centers. To see these episodes as John did, let’s look at the story, being careful not to import details from the other gospels. When we look at the crises Jesus had to deal with, let’s look at how the disciples responded, and what lessons we can learn.

John’s introduction (6:1–4) sets the stage for this crisis. The location is important as it puts the whole event in context for these stories. First, Jesus is near the Sea of Galilee. This large lake was the most important part of the economy of that region in Jesus’ day as it provided water for farming and of course fish for the people. But in the midst of that region, people were hungry.

Now Jesus has been healing the sick, so crowds are following him for that reason. There were masses of people. Some commentators estimate the total number to be around 10 000 people. He takes a seat on the mountainside and because He cares for the people, He asks the disciples to provide food.

Now the first thing that would come to our minds is the same thing that came to their minds as well. “It would cost too much,” replies Philip, and then Andrew mentions the boy’s loaves and fish.

Basically, their response was too many people, not enough resources; we can’t do anything. Does that sound familiar? Think about the homeless. There are a lot of them. If you add in all the problems in the world, then the problems are just too big. Putting it into a spiritual context, the same response is true. There are billions who have not heard the gospel but we can’t give any more to missions.

Look at our world. Almost every part of the globe has a conflict going on. There is corruption, genocide, and diseases. With the discovery of the Zika virus, there is now the fear of traveling if you are a woman of child-bearing years. If I let those things weigh on my mind for very long, then I think I’d go crazy. So what do we do? Well, I guess we’d better not think about it very much.

Back to our text. We know what happens next. Jesus instructs the disciples to tell the people to sit down. Jesus hands out the provisions, and then the disciples again are involved, gathering up the remains. Jesus is the host for this meal. The people have followed Him because they have seen what He can do for others, and He invites them to be His guests for dinner. His disciples do what they can by finding a few loaves and fish, but Jesus gives the increase.

Sound familiar? You know how this works. You look at the bills and what is coming in, yet often times there is enough. When things are tough, we need to trust God to be true to His character and nature. I’ve experienced both sides in my life and ministry.

But I do believe that by working together and asking God to bless what we have and offer, we will be surprised what God can do and how things turn out. I think the temptation we have to deal with is we look at what we have or don’t have, examine the “need” outside and in the end not do anything because of what “may” happen. We shouldn’t send the needy away because the depths of their need makes us panic. Jesus is with us and will bless what you have. Your brothers and sisters are with you and will help you hold the baskets.

Now let’s pause for a second. How do you think the disciples were thinking here? Jesus took a boy’s lunch and fed the masses. Crisis averted? Not really. Let’s look at what happens next.

The people, impressed by Jesus’ miracle, move quickly from “this is the Prophet”—the Moses-type deliverer whom Moses promised would arise—to “Let’s crown him and make him rule us permanently!” Jesus went from miracle chef to would-be-king. But Jesus won’t be manipulated or controlled by needs or the needy. He gives himself freely and compassionately, but He won’t be anyone else’s pawn.

We see this all the time. Someone does something amazing and then the masses want to make him/her a king. Back in the early 80s, Lech Walesa was a union head in Poland. In protest, the people began protesting the Russian-backed Communist government. Walesa became the point person, appearing over and over at rallies and protests against the government. In the end, when the Communist regime fell, Walesa was made the president.

This was what the people whom Jesus fed wanted. They wanted the Romans out and Jesus in. This wasn’t God’s plan. So how did Jesus deal with it? Again, no panic: He simply withdraws, going back up the mountain. For Jesus, it is simply a reset, a time to refresh Himself by spending time with His Father.

So what are some lessons we can learn here? Trust God, He’s in charge.

Sounds easy, doesn’t it? The Jesus who wants me to believe we can feed a multitude with five loaves and two fish is not a comfortable companion. He would tell us to open our doors to the poor and the sick, to lay down our weapons and love our enemies, and to trust Him to make it all work. And because He refuses to be manipulated, we can’t predict how He’ll make it work, or when He will multiply the little we have. Yeah, He’s pretty scary. Sometimes it feels like the real crisis is not the world outside but the decision to let Jesus into our boat and turn the show over to Him.

Don’t panic. He won’t tip you over into the raging storm. He won’t leave you without support. He won’t be controlled. But since he knows best how to fix things, that’s a blessing. Jesus says, “It is I—don’t be afraid.” That’s the gospel.

Every single day, we place our trust in things and people who are less dependable than God. I think many of us use a GPS. Remember a few years ago how Apple’s maps were messed up? People were getting lost. My old GPS had me driving down dirt roads in the middle of nowhere when we were on our way back to Fort St. John from Edmonton. Worse yet, have you ever asked someone for directions and found yourself completely lost?

When we find ourselves in a bind, who or where do we go to first? Do we trust Him? Do we believe He can fix situations and solve our problems?