All We Need

John 12:37-50

The hardest parts of Scripture for me are those parts that describe God has having any part in unbelief. What I tell myself is that God sees through to the other side. It's maybe like breaking a bone to set it again. It’s also like a discussion in this journal a while back, about tough things bringing the good out in ways that wouldn’t happen otherwise. So maybe sometimes, with eternal salvation at stake, God just bypasses any other agents and takes direct charge of the process. Why it has to be that way (I’ll fall back on the old line) is not for us to know.

Besides, to see the face of Jesus is to see the face of God. We have all we need. To hear the words of Jesus is to know the eternal Word. At the same time our heavenly parent must say and do some hard things, he gives us his own Son to go through those things with us – he even experienced forsakenness of the Father - and to take the rap for what his unruly kids have coming to them.

Prayer:
Lord, sometimes it’s hard to trust in your long-term plans when I need trust and assurance right now. Help me see very step as significant, any pause in the action of the day as a chance just to release stuff to you, every human contact as a time to forget any self-concern to be your ambassador, and then to feel the warmth of your smile. Through your Son. Amen.