Tuesday
Have you ever lost your way? I am noted for being directionally challenge.
That means that I don’t always know where I am going. I have been known to take a wrong road and end up miles away from where I thought I was going. In Indiana where I lived for 15 years, there was a town north of Fort Wayne, Auburn, and I lived right off of the direct route between RT 426. You would think that all I would have to do is head south and I would find my way home… oh no. (And just in case you were wondering why I didn’t use gps… didn’t have it then.) So after 30 minutes of not getting anywhere familiar… I called my husband and told what intersection I was at… he laughed after he found it on mapquest on his computer… I was within 2 miles of the Ohio border… due east of where I started out from.
So you can imagine my delight as I read today’s scripture when Jesus says, I know the way – because I Am the way the truth and the life. These directions I think I can follow.
At least I know I can with the help of the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus also promises to give to us. These directions to the place where Jesus has prepared a place for us, is a place where we will never be lost, never be separated from God. It is a place to look forward to, even when we are in the midst of great trials. This place is promised to us and we know that Jesus keeps His promises.
Jesus also talks to us about prayer. We need to understand that there is no limit to the what we may ask for… but there is the understanding that whatever Jesus gives us, will be for our benefit. We get our needs answered, not our wants. Even though Jesus says “You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it.”(vs 13) Think about the other scriptures that speak of prayer and what Jesus is saying here. What we pray for must bring glory to God.
(vs 4:3) Our prayers will be answered if they are prayed with the right motive and for the Glory of God. Think about that when you pray. What I believe Jesus is saying to us, is that even the good things we pray for may not be answered in the way we would hope… a friend is dying, a marriage is falling apart, a child has run away from home. We pray but our friend still dies, the marriage ends in divorce, the child never comes home? Why? Because God has a bigger plan, a plan that we don’t always understand, but many times out of tragedy comes great joy, great healing. We may not see the result in this lifetime, but our end result is not for this world alone, but for the preparation for the next life to come. And Jesus is daily showing us the way. He walked a very difficult road Himself. His prayer at Gethsemane was for the crucifixion to not have to happen, but that prayer would not have brought Glory to the Father. Only through His death and resurrection can we even come before the Father in prayer.
We don’t always know the way, but Jesus does and as long as we keep our eyes on Him, he will not only lead us home, he will come and get us.
Following The Way, The Truth and The Life
Pastor Kathy