Wrestling with Me

Scripture:
"For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me." John 6:38

Observation:
Jesus faced a crucial crossroads during this chapter of His life on earth. He had fed the 5 thousand. Upon participating in this event, the crowd was prepared to anoint Him as King. He was poised to do anything He wanted to do. The wording of this verse indicates to me that Jesus, just like any other man would, wrestled with a will that was in opposition to God. But He chose to surrender to God's will for His life. He chose to not seek His own end, but to discover and pursue God's mission for His life.

Application:
There are a couple of lessons that I can learn from this. First, Jesus paid attention. Throughout this chapter, there are a couple occasions where Jesus perceived something that was not being said and He reacted to the situation accordingly. It is so easy to get caught up in the daily routine of living. Once things settle into a rhythm, focus can be lost. I need to live alert. I need to constantly look past what I see and pay attention to what the spirit is saying inside of me.

Second, Jesus withdrew to solitude to sort things out. I have a tendency to avoid solitude. There is something about being alone with God that is hard. I can only think of a handful of times that I have actually went away to be alone with God. I can think of only one time that lasted longer than a few hours. I just plow away at things and pray that God will guide my steps. But Jesus was different. He stepped away and got a clear sense of God's direction, then He pursued it. He walked with confidence because He knew the will of His Father.

Third, Jesus denied His own desires and pursued God's will. Man, I hate this one. I do not like to struggle. I hate wrestling with anyone, but I especially hate to wrestle with me. I spend most of my time praying that God will change my desires so that I do not have to fight myself. But Jesus did something different. He faced His own desires, told them no, and pursued God's purposes. It is easy to chase after God when that is all that my heart desires, but it is an entirely different challenge when my heart desires other things.

Prayer:
Teach me to pay attention to what is happening around me. I pray that you slow things down and allow Your voice and guidance to become clear to me. Help me to see beyond what is evident and perceive things as Christ did. I pray that You draw me away when I need to reconnect with You. Help me to find the time and places to go to be alone with You. Make Your will clear to me. I pray that you allow it to become abundantly clear to me Your will for each choice I make. Help me to know Your voice in a new way.

The calling I feel deep in my heart is that you take me to another level of purity in my life, make Your vision clear to me, and affirm me in the security of my salvation. These three things I desire more than anything of the world I could have. They are my greatest treasures to pursue. The only reward I desire. Allow these three things to become my only passion in life.