From John 6:67-68 we read, “Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will you also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.”
WILL YOU ALSO GO AWAY? There are some questions Jesus asked that still reach right into our hearts today, and this is one of them. Jesus had been teaching some hard truths, and the Bible says that many who had been following Him became offended. John 6:66 says, “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.” Think about that. They had seen His miracles. They had eaten the loaves and fish He multiplied. They had listened to His teaching. But when following Jesus became difficult, they walked away. That’s when Jesus turned to the twelve and asked, “Will ye also go away?” There are times when every one of us has to answer that question. Will you still follow Jesus when life does not turn out the way you expected? Will you keep following when the prayer you prayed is not answered the way you hoped? Will you remain faithful when His Word confronts something in your life you would rather not change? Will you keep trusting Him when you do not understand what He is doing?
Peter’s answer is one of my favorite statements in the Bible: “Lord, to whom shall we go? WOW! I love that! Peter did not say, “Lord, I understand everything.” He did not say, “Lord, everything You have said is easy.” He simply realized there was nowhere better to go.
WHERE WOULD WE GO? I’ve seen it happen sometimes, as a Pastor, when people become hurt, disappointed, or confused, their first temptation is to pull away from the Lord. They stop praying. They stop reading their Bible. They stop coming to church. They distance themselves from the very One they need the most. But where are we going to go? Back to the world that could never satisfy us? Back to the life God delivered us from? Back to depending completely upon ourselves? Peter had seen enough of Jesus to know that even when he did not understand Him, he could still trust Him. Amen! There may be times when we do not understand His ways, but we know His character. We know He is good. We know He is faithful. We know He loves us. And above all, we know what He did for us at Calvary. DON’T WALK AWAY WHEN YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND. I can remember taking all four of our children to the doctor when they were little to get their shots. We would hold them while the nurse gave the injection, and I can still remember the look on their faces. They would look up at us as if to say, “Why are you letting this stranger hurt me?” They could not understand why the very people who loved them most would hold them still while something painful was happening. All they understood was the hurt. But we knew something they didn’t know. We knew the pain was brief, and we knew there was a purpose behind it. We weren’t allowing it because we didn’t love them. We were allowing it because we did.
There are times when we look toward heaven with that same kind of question: “Lord, if You love me, why are You allowing this?” We may not understand what God is doing, but He sees what we cannot see and knows what we do not know. Faith does not mean we always understand the pain. Sometimes faith simply means trusting the heart of God when we cannot understand the hand of God. DON’T LET ONE THING YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND MAKE YOU FORGET EVERYTHING YOU DO KNOW ABOUT GOD. Maybe you are going through something today that has made you question God. Maybe something happened that you cannot explain. Maybe you have wondered, “Lord, why did You allow this?” Jesus still asks, “Will ye also go away?”
WHAT’S YOUR ANSWER? Peter’s answer ought to be ours: “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.” When you are hurting, stay close to Jesus.
When you are confused, stay close to Jesus. When you are disappointed, stay close to Jesus.
When you do not understand, stay close to Jesus. You may not always understand what Jesus is doing, but you will never find anyone better than Jesus. Amen! Think it over…🙏