Monday 8 April, 2019

14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” 8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” 9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

I love the way Jesus begins and ends this passage with encouraging instructions, and in the middle tells us why we can believe in what He says.

I don’t think there is anyone in existence who has not been troubled by something or needed something that is beyond them – I know that I certainly have. And often I allow myself to be overwhelmed by these troubles and needs. It almost seems too good to be true to simply bring these troubles and needs to Jesus and expect Him to actually do anything about them. Yet Jesus explains that He carries the very authority and heart of God – He is not only able to help, but He is eager to.

So often my first response to fear, worry, trouble or need is to try and find a solution, when I could be bringing these to Jesus instead and trusting Him to sort them out on my behalf. While we have responsibility to do our best & take the steps we can – in the authority of God that He has given us – we can trust that when we bring what we need to Jesus, He is on the case. Admittedly His response may not look like what we have pictured, however we can trust that He is at work for our good. He is the way, truth and life for each of us – He will not leave us where we are but will meet us where we are at in order to bring glory to God.

Thank you Jesus that you are willing and able to hear our prayers & to meet our needs. Thank you that because you are in control and you are good, we can bring our troubles to you & trust that you are working on our behalf, bringing glory to God.

 

Written by Ps. Madelaine Tarasenko