Remember and Believe - gleanings from John chapter two
/This post is part of a weekly share of gleanings from the book of John. Click here for more information, and read to the bottom to join the conversation!
I'll never forget the time a friend tried to comfort me as my two pound daughter lay in a NICU isolette twenty minutes away from her daddy, me, and her own crib.
She said, “One day you'll forget any of this ever happened.”
I confidently responded, “I hope I don’t. I wouldn't trade these moments for a full term pregnancy.” Despite the grief and trauma of the NICU, I meant those words. God was doing miraculous things, and my faith was being stretched and strengthened every day.
She’ll be five soon... and I really hate to say this, but some days I forget any of that ever happened.
My friend was right.
This is a problem, y’all. As moms, these days we spend with our little ones are precious and important, but can become so routine and so monotonous that the miracle that made us moms gets lost in the mundane. If you’re reading John with me, the second chapter cuts right to the heart of the problem!
The Mountain Top
This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. (John 2:11)
These are men who believed Jesus was the Son of God and had previously devoted themselves to following Him, as seen in chapter one. What is it about this experience stirred up belief in their hearts?
I believe it’s the same phenomenon I experienced in the NICU and that we all experience in moments of our lives that feel miraculous or emotional, moving, life-altering. Mountain top moments that leave us in awe of the God who has revealed Himself to us in very concrete ways. The birth of your child, your journey through an illness, your mission trip to Uganda…
Meanwhile, your day to day looks like mine. You’re walking along, believing what you know is true, but lacking the awe and wonder that was left on top of the mountain… and wondering when you’ll have that experience or emotional moment that will bring the excitement back to your belief.
The Valley
So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. (John 2:18-22)
In this second section, just after Jesus turned tables over, drove men and animals from the temple with a whip, His actions were questioned by the Pharisees. His answer in the passage above sounded like nonsense at the time, but when remembered and called upon after His death, increased their faith in the God of their salvation.
These day to day moments you and I are walking in right now… the ones that feel “blah,” confusing, walking in the valley awaiting the next mountain-top moment to bring emotion and excitement back to our faith… in light of this passage, these moments point to our desperation for His word and truths to be committed to memory and reminding us that He is awe-inspiring even in our most mundane days. What He has done and is doing must bring us to worship whether we’re serving the homeless in New Orleans, folding our seventh load of laundry of the day, or just trying to figure out what He’s doing. Friends, there is nothing new to figure out. All we need to know has been revealed. It’s in His book... learn it, believe it, remember it, and then teach it!
The Truth
Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man. (John 2:23-25)
These three verses carry so much weight as John reveals through them that belief and salvation are two different things. The “many” believed in His name in response to what they were seeing: signs, wonders, miracles! They believed He was who He said He was: the Messiah, the Son of God! But… beyond the miraculous experiences, did they have saving faith in Jesus as both their Savior and their Lord? He knew then and He still knows now, He knows all people and He knows what is in all people. He knows whether our belief is based on what He can do for us (physically, materially, emotionally), or what He has done for us.
For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. (John 1:16)
Moms, may we respond to God’s grace upon grace in a way that will display to our children the incomparable awe of God not only when they encounter the miraculous, but equally so in the midst of the mundane.
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