The Way
“Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6)
Yesterday was a rough news day. It’s hard to know what to believe anymore. It’s really hard to know what to do. I personally would like Jesus to give me written instructions for all aspects of life. I would like details for how to be the perfect wife my husband needs, how to raise my children, how to minister to my neighbors, what exactly I’m supposed to say when I feel the Holy Spirit prompting me to talk to someone, when to speak up and when to stay silent, how to run my business, how to connect with every kid I serve in youth ministry, how to get them to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. In so many things I could really use a detailed guide. Of course, most importantly, as a Christian, I want to get to Jesus, I want to live my life in a way that ensures I will meet Him in the end. I don’t want to spend my time in vain thinking I have lived for Him when I really have been serving idols.
In John 14, Jesus is preparing the disciples for what lies ahead in His death, resurrection, and ascension. I so relate to Thomas because he wants to know exactly what things are going to look like. “How do we know?”, he asks the Lord. Have you asked this of Jesus? I sure have. Especially the past two years. Do I proceed boldly in what I feel He is calling me to, or do I wait patiently for more confirmation? Am I using my faith as a cover for my selfishness? Is this really what God wants of me, or is this just me? How do I know what’s right? How do I know the way?
The righteous shall live by faith (Romans 1:17), not by sight. We are not called to trust in our decisions, we are called to trust in Jesus. As we follow Him, He makes our paths straight (Proverbs 3:6). When God called Abraham to pack up his whole house and go to the land He would give him, God didn’t tell Abraham where that was. Abraham had faith to follow God Himself. Jesus is the way, we need only follow Him and the rest of our life falls in line.
