John 1:49-51
I booked the trip of a lifetime to Athens, Greece for my birthday, and I could not wait. Unbeknownst to me, the pandemic would bring the world to a halt. As the days of quarantine and cancellations continued, I knew the end of this adventure was inevitable. I finally received the email: your flights are canceled.
When I contacted the travel company for a refund, it was a nightmare. Frustrated, I approached God in prayer. Honestly, I do not know if it qualifies as a prayer. It was more like a venting tantrum toward heaven, telling God how I needed the situation handled. Later that day when I received the company’s positive email, I was greatly relieved.
“What if I’d had an undesirable outcome?” I thought. “Could I have trusted God to redeem the situation in a way that did not suit my immediate need?” When I read about the great and miraculous works of God, I often wonder what it would be like to witness such goodness. Sometimes we constrain the limitless God we serve to the limits of our situation. But God is always at work for good, far beyond what we can see or imagine.
Nathanael is amazed by what Jesus knows and does. But Jesus knows how limited Nathanael’s vision and experience truly are. “You will see greater things than these,” he tells his new disciple (v. 50). That is a promise for all of us who journey with Christ.
Consider
What great things have you seen along the way of following Jesus?
Pray
God, increase our vision so that we will see the great ways that you are at work in the world and so we will take our place with you. Amen.