Imitate Your Father (John 5:17)

But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”
– John 5:17

Oh, this is such a good verse. And there’s so much Jesus is saying in it. He had just healed somebody on the Sabbath, and the religious leaders were really upset. And Jesus is saying, “As my Father works, so I work”, which made them mad because one, he was doing good things on the Sabbath, healing someone. And two, because he was calling God his own father, making himself equal with God. That’s what the very next verse says, verse 18. And then in verse 19, Jesus says, “the Son”, talking about himself, “can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing”.

John 5:17 teaches that God is always at work.

So what we have here in this verse in John 5:17, “My Father is working until now, and I am working”, is this picture of Jesus, God, the Son, working with God the Father on Earth. And there’s a lot of mystery here with how things work, and the Trinity, a lot more we could talk about there.

But what I want to lead us to pray according to today is how this reality, though not exactly the same… Obviously, we’re not part of the Trinity, so it’s not exactly the same for us. But as we live today, we are living in relationship with God who is working in the world around us. And so as we live, we join with God in what he’s doing in the world. And I distinctly remember when this picture became more of a reality in my mind.

I was on a trip that I had taken with a group of people to South Asia, and we were in this city filled with people, multitudes, millions upon millions of people who have little to no knowledge of Jesus. And we would go out every day into these public areas where there were more people who could speak English.

And we went out confident that God was working in people’s lives in this public area, filled with tons of different people, confident that God was drawing people to himself. We would just go out and start conversations with people and ask them what they think about Jesus. And some people were pretty closed off and didn’t really want to talk, but then there were others who were saying things like, “I’ve thought about this before”, or “I’ve been thinking about this”.

John 5:17 urges us to live in step with God’s work.

And it was this picture of we’re joining with God and what he’s already doing. We’re not starting work as we go out into this public place. We’re joining with God in what he’s doing. And just want to encourage you with that reality in your life today. God is working in the lives of people all around you today, and he wants to involve you in his work in their lives.

There are people around you today who need encouragement, and brothers and sisters in Christ who need to be built up, and God wants you to join him in building them up and encouraging them. There are people around you today, believe this, that God is drawing to himself, that are becoming more curious about what it means to become a follower of Jesus.

So be intentional in speaking about Jesus. And not everybody is being drawn the same way today. Not everybody may be ready to hear the gospel, but believe that there are people around you today that God’s working in their lives, and God is inviting you to join him in what he’s doing. What an incredible thought that God wants to involve you in what he is doing. That your work today, your life today, can join with God in his work and what he’s doing in lives around you today.

This verse points us to God’s work among the nations.

So God, we say yes! We want to join you in what you are doing today in our lives. We want to experience all that you desire to do in our lives today, and in others’ lives. Specifically, people who have different needs, like this man who needed to be healed on the Sabbath. God, we pray that you would help us to be sensitive to your Spirit all day long today in the opportunities we have to encourage others, to build up others, specifically our brothers and sisters in Christ, help us to speak your Word in ways that are encouraging to them.

Help us to be a visible manifestation of your love for them in their lives today. And God, we pray for that as we think about people who we will interact with today who don’t know you. God, we pray for people we’ll be around that we know. And just think right now, God, about the people that we might meet today at a restaurant, or at a store, or interact with in a gym, or a school, who maybe we don’t know you. God, help us to be sensitive to your Spirit. Help us to join with you in what you’re doing and drawing people to yourself around us today.

Help us to go out into our entire day with that perspective. And God, we pray for this, for the nations today that you are drawing to yourself.

Prayer for the Magahia Kumhar People

We pray for the Magahia Kumhar people of India, for 200,000 Magahia Kumhar. We trust God that you are working to draw them to yourself. So raise up laborers for the harvest field. Raise up brothers and sisters in Christ who go and join you in what you’re doing among the Magahia Kumhar people of India and peoples around the world. And God, we pray that you would use our lives in any way you desire to join you in what you are doing among unreached people to draw them to yourself. Oh God, we pray all this according to your Word in John 5:17. Help us to join you in all you are doing in our lives and in others’ lives today. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.