There is a pattern running through the first six chapters of John. The people that come to Jesus repeatedly do so because they are in need of something.
The disciples come because they are looking for the Messiah. Nicodemus comes because he wants answers. The woman at the well comes looking for water. A desperate father comes looking for healing. The crowds follow Jesus because they have seen His miracles—and eventually because they want bread. And Jesus, being Jesus, meets every need that they bring Him.
He turns water into wine (Jn 2).
He gives living water (Jn 4).
He heals the sick (Jn 4-5).
He multiplies bread (Jn 6).
Turns out, not much has changed in the few thousand years since Jesus walked on Eearth. We still come to God with our hands open, asking for Him to meet our need or solve our problem.
Give me peace.
Give me direction.
Heal this.
Fix that.
Provide for me.
Change this circumstance.
Give me the relationship, the opportunity, the answer, the breakthrough.
Bringing our needs to God is good, He never asked us to hide our needs from Him or to think that we can survive this life on our own. But sometimes, if we aren't careful, the gifts can become more important than the Giver. Sometimes, we aren't that different than the crowd that comes to Him for more bread in chapter 6.
Here, the crowds have experienced the miracle of the loaves and fishes, and they come looking for Jesus again. But Jesus recognizes that they aren't really seeking Him. They are seeking what He can provide.
But in chapter 6, Jesus doesn't provide more bread. He doesn't give them the ability to work a miracle, either. Instead, He offers them something infinitely better, but undeniably more difficult. He offers them Himself.
One of the lessons in the first chapters of John is this: we must love God not only for what He does, but for who He is.
We can worship when the prayer is answered, but can we worship while we're waiting?
We can worship when God provides, but can we say, “Jesus, You are enough,” when He doesn't?
The goal isn't to stop asking God for things. The goal is to discover that beneath everything we ask for is a deeper hunger that only God Himself can satisfy.
Perhaps today, the prayer isn't simply:
“Jesus, give me what I need.”
Perhaps it is:
“Jesus, help me recognize that You are what I need.”
The Christian life isn't about getting everything we want from Jesus, it is about knowing that Jesus Himself is enough.
This week, join me in asking God:
Where am I more focused on what I want God to give me or do for me, than on God Himself?
If God answered none of my prayers today, what would it look like for me to still say, “You are good. You are worthy. You are enough”?
What would change in my worship if I truly believed that the greatest gift God could give me is Himself?
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Responses