John 21-1-14

I thought a lot about yesterday's devotional scripture.

Very cool how some of the questions from yesterday's devotional dovetail into today's devotional.

One of the questions I had from yesterday's devotional was this idea of how do we approach God with things that are hurting us or on our minds, without treating him like a wish-machine.

There's some interesting ideas (maybe answers) that come out of today's devotional.
1. He already knows. In the 1st few verses, it doesn't seem like the disciples know Jesus is who He is, but Jesus is the one to prod them about not catching fish. They didn't have to ask Him, they didn't even know at that point to ask him: He already knew! Then, He went on to provide what they needed.

2. It's not stupid or ulterior-motived, to not-bring God the "small" or everyday stuff. It doesn't get any more everyday than, "I don't want to starve"

3. Sometimes, he could be working even as we speak, and we just don't know it. Now, the disciples did figure it out after the fact, but while Jesus was changing things for them, they didn't know what was happening. Just that some guy told them to try something different.


So what's the point? Why ask if he already knows? Maybe just to have the dialogue. Maybe God just wants us to set the time aside and spend it with Him. Even if He knows whats best, and even if sometimes what we want isn't what we need, maybe He just is happy when we make the time to share our (sometimes silly, sometimes legit) worries, thoughts and our lives.

That makes sense to me. I don't talk to or hang out with my friends/family only because they need something from me or I need something from them (advice, something else, whatever). We spend time together and share one anothers' concerns, fears, joys, everything b/c... that's what it is to have a connection with someone. Some times (a lot of times) I do have a different opinion about things we talk about. Mostly I just appreciate the trust we have in being able to share them. At the end of the day, it's what God wants and, sometimes unbeknownst to even ourselves, it's what we want.

In other words, it seems like it's more important that we invite God/Jesus into a regular relationship, and less important (though still obviously important) what we spend it doing.

I think the high-potential for ulterior motives is what celebrities and powerful people are wary of; that when they start to have to look at every single person and question the motives for the interaction, it's poisonous and exhausting.

My thinking yesterday was processing God too much through the Deity, Lord, Savior facets at the expense of the personal Father, Friend, Bridegroom facets.

It's weird, I'm sure I've heard all of this before...Was I sleeping during that sermon? (J/K PB! :-) )

Another sort of corollary to the 3 ideas above, I read an essay by the recently passed Harvard chaplain:
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/rtd-opinion/2010/sep/12/ed-gomes12-ar-499733/

4. As Christians, our lives are not easier. In many respects, life is harder. But, hardship is reason for, if not celebration, at least remembrance and reverence! It's under those circumstances that we most search for Him. Reverend Gomes says it better than I can:

When the Jewish people celebrate the Days of Awe, beginning their new year and atoning for their sins, they always remember two things. First, they remember the troubles and the tribulations through which they have passed, and they recite the history of those sorrows and troubles. They remind themselves and one another, and everybody else, of how they have been formed and forged through the experience of trial and tribulation.

The second thing they remember is how the Lord delivered them out of those troubles and helped them to endure and bear and eventually overcome them. They remind themselves of it over and over again.
...
The history of the Jews in the world is not a history of escape from trouble; would that it were, but it is not. It is the record of endurance through tribulation, an endurance that would have been impossible without God.