Meditation XXX -- Bread of Life (3)

"For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."

So often when we ask about the "will of God" we are trying to find out what God wants us to do. Should we pursue a certain ministry? Who should we marry? How shall I deal with unbelieving co-workers? I know I have often reasoned that if God knows and cares about every hair on my head, then certainly even the smallest things should be put to the test of what He desires, assuming that even my failing hair is part of His greater plan.

Yet Jesus here does not subject us to such mental tyranny. I am not saying that we should not pray for God's direction, or that we should not wish to be part of God's work on the earth. But Jesus makes simple what we overcomplicate: Believe in Him.

Though I learned a lot in school about how food works to create energy, I do not think about the process most of the time when I eat. There are times when I do need to consider how nutrition works, so that I keep my body in good health. And I have realized over the years that my physical health is not just about how I feel, and that it effects many other people. But most of the time, I trust that when I eat, food will be converted into energy for me to get through to the next day.

Jesus, the Bread of Life, tells us to merely believe. Perhaps, in light of what I have already written, the word "merely" seems to be poorly chosen. Belief is often hard work. But is it harder than the mental gymnastics required to convince oneself that the center of the universe is in one's own brain?

It is not enough to turn our faces to Jesus. We can see Him and say, "Yes, He is a smart cookie, a wise fellow. He said some pretty bright things that sometimes apply to our lives." We must trust, when earthly reason fails us. And fail us it must.

We eventually are brought low, so low that eternity is something we cannot see, even with 20/20 vision. That is only one of the times we must look on the Son and know we will be raised.

Ever bright Jesus, guide us to right reasoning, that whether in action or stillness, we follow Your star. Amen.