Begin with two minutes of silence and stillness before God.
If you only had 24 hours to live, how would you choose to spend your time? Personally, I would want to spend every second with my family, and I would want to pour as much wisdom as I possibly could into their hearts. I would want to beg and plead with them to always love God more than anyone or anything else and choose obedience to His plan every time! I think we would all try our best to convey things in those last moments with as much clarity as possible, in hopes our words would always be remembered.
When we read John 13:31-35, we enter into a time when Jesus only had 24 hours left with His disciples before He would be arrested, beaten, betrayed, abandoned, and ultimately crucified. Take into consideration the importance of the last conversation He chose to have with those closest to Him. Jesus tells the disciples that He wouldn’t be with them much longer and that where He was going, they couldn't follow. Then He shares one of the most important commands! This command is to love one another just like Jesus loves them! He stresses to them, “You MUST love one another!” There it is...the most important thing Jesus chooses to leave with them. Then we see Peter completely focus on the unimportant. He is so consumed with the fact that Jesus is leaving that he misses the solution that Jesus provides in return. Peter asks Jesus, “Where are you going?” and “Why can’t I follow?” There is no indication that Peter even heard the solution of the new command given. The most helpful information he would need as a guide for the rest of his life was blurred by his concern about being left alone and not understanding why.
Aren’t we all guilty of this mindset? We tend to focus on our feelings of confusion, fear, and pain; that's when we start spending our time asking "Why?" more than seeking the answers He has already given us in His Word. I am so guilty of getting caught up in my emotions and not focusing on the promises God has already plainly given to me. I think Peter's response gives us the perfect opportunity to recognize when we are doing the same thing. The next time we find ourselves beginning to panic and opening the door for anxiety and fear to come rushing in, let Peter’s response of "Why?" be our trigger to stop and refocus. Ask yourself at that moment, “What do I know to be true about God in this situation?” Choose to focus on God’s Word and do not stop digging until you find Scripture that speaks to you. There is nothing in this life you could face that is not addressed by God in His Word. Jesus plainly tells us in Matthew 7:7, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” This is our promise from God that He has not left us to figure things out on our own. Ask Him to show you in His Word, seek the answer until you find it, and as you knock, watch for Him to open wide the door that leads to rest through His promises. Where will you place your focus today?
Take two minutes to reflect in silence.