Listen

“Now I am deeply troubled. What should I say? ‘Father, save me from this time’? No, for this is the reason I have come to this time. Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

John 12:27-28

Think

Jesus was “deeply troubled” when he thought about his coming crucifixion. Does this surprise you? Sometimes we think of Jesus as super-human. Yet Jesus is quoting from his prayer book, in Psalm 6:2, to express his worries.

Even though he is disturbed, Jesus knows his options. He knows he could say, “Father, save me!” Instead, he chooses to trust radically that God will be glorified in his life. Like his mother Mary before him, Jesus yields to what God wants to do in his life.

“Glorify your name!” Jesus prays. Suddenly, God answers him! The crowd around him thinks it is thunder, but Jesus knows how to really listen to God. Jesus clearly hears God reassure him that God is already at work in Jesus and God will continue to be at work in the future.

Dawn Weaks

Question to Ponder:

What does it mean to you that Jesus experienced struggles and questions in his life?

Pray

O Eternal God, glorify your name in my life,

and help me feel assured as I trust in you more each day.

Amen.

Go

Hear what God is nudging you to hear. Maybe it’s to pause before speaking, or to act boldly when you see someone wronged. Maybe it’s to love outside of your circle. Maybe it’s to love yourself. Take courage, and listen.