How Can You Learn to Trust God?

Who is included in God’s love? How far does grace extend? Growing up, because of what heard, I often thought God was not for me. I faced a false choice between deception, or a marginal life lived in fear and isolation.

“Do you want to be made well?”

John 5:1–18; Gospel always strikes a chord for me. Imagine suffering for 20 years with no one to help you access the healing you so fervently hope for and need. Jesus centers us with a question: “Do you want to be made well?” The unnamed man in our story does not answer the question directly or even recognize Jesus. He doesn’t need to. Jesus offers him the power to heal regardless. The man claims this healing without giving up his rights as a full member of the community. He returns to the temple where Jesus will later find him. This vision of wholeness and healing is not a departure from Jesus,’ it is at its heart.

Ezekiel 47:1–9, 12; The prophecy of Ezekiel recognizes no manmade limits. The waters flow from the temple to even the lowest places, bringing abundant life. We are called to be its conduits.

Psalm 145:8–19 NIV

The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. All your works praise you, LORD; your faithful people extol you. They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. The LORD upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does. The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.

"See Jesus every day out of the margins into all mercies, fields, and skies"

Some Thoughts...

• The arguments go back and forth about Jesus: some say that they know nothing about him, others that they know everything. It sometimes seems like that nowadays too, that there are experts on every side. I realize that Christianity calls me, not to be convinced in my mind, but to accept Jesus in my heart. This is the kind of knowledge that Jesus values.

• No matter how much I know about somebody there always remains much of which is hidden and known only to God. I pray for a deeper reverence of those around me – especially for those I think I know well

• What is there that deserves attention in my every day? What seems commonplace but may have a message for me?

• Unlike the people around him, Jesus did not just see what was evident; he appreciated the origin and meaning of his life. His concern was not with facts and existence but with truth and relationships.

• Jesus spoke of doing the will of his Abba Father. He had a sense of being led by this ‘will’ and wanting to do it. Have you had a sense of ‘being led’? When have I responded to this and when have I not. Talk with Jesus about this.

• How do you pray on a text like this? Some suggestions – (1) enter into the way Jesus must have felt within himself in his frustration and their refusal to hear his good news. This helps us to better understand the human aspect of his life and brings us closer to him as we realize who much he is like us. (2) How do you manage when people reject you and criticize you when you mean well? It can be a great help to turn to the Lord as someone who understands you from his own experience and who supports you by his friendship.