In John 5 Jesus healed a man who had been sick for thirty-eight years.

But since he did so on the day of rest, he was criticized for it. Talk about missing for the forest for the trees! 

In his own defense Jesus said: “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working” (John 5:17).

A passage like this could inspire us do God’s work. After all, if Jesus is working, and if we are his hands and feet, then it makes sense to get involved with the kinds of things he is doing.

But there’s another angle as well.

These are disorienting and tiring days. This passage can be a reminder that God is in fact working—and that because God is working, we can take some of the pressure off of ourselves.

You are in God’s hands, not the other way around.

I sometimes wonder if our inability to let our soul exhale and to just be is because we think, deep down, in our secret thoughts, that God can’t do his job.

Scurry, scurry, rush, rush, inhale, inhale, inhale…

In Hebrews 1:3 we are instructed that Jesus himself is “sustaining all things by his powerful word.” ALL things. Including you.

God is working. There are times when we need to get in on the action. But there are others when we need to pause, rest, inhale, exhale, and trust.

It’s a disorienting and tiring time. You are in God’s hands, not the other way around. 

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Notes:

—Sermon. Today’s devotional is connected to my latest sermon, “Exhale.” Click here for watching or listening options.

—Bible study podcast. My latest podcast is an in-depth Bible study on John 5:1-18. Click here to access through The Pulse Podcast with Matthew Ruttan or subscribe wherever you enjoy podcasts.

-Bible quotes are from the NIV.