I’ve been reading through John’s Gospel this year. And I noticed for the first time all the stories about people who can only see one way forward.
- The lame man by the pool of Bethesda (John 5): “The only way I can be healed is to get down into the water first. And I can’t!”
- The disciples facing 5000+ hungry people (John 6): “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!”
- Martha, and Mary, when Lazarus died (John 11): “If you had been here, my brother would not have died!”
In each case, Jesus calmly showed he is not bound by our limited solution set. Can’t you just hear them?
- “After 38 years, I can just pick up my mat and walk away?!”
- “We’ll feed this stadium-sized horde with just 5 barley loaves and 2 fish?!!”
- “Our brother, well-and-truly dead for four days already, will just walk out of that tomb?!!!”
These stories convict me. How often are my prayers — and, yes, faith — constrained to my limited imagination of how things could possibly ever “work together for good”?
These stories also encourage me. Because in each case, Jesus took the time to draw out and listen to the lurking despair, anxiety, disappointment each person felt.
And, little by little, these stories are changing the way I pray — for family, friends, church, community, nations, the world. It means holding my ideas loosely, and watching for God to act in ways (and timing) I likely don’t expect. That’s a bit scary, if I’m honest. But I’m in.
Join me?
Republished from February 2026 update to our ministry partners
Natural Born Alien 