Behind the Locked Door | John 20:19-29 | Ephesians 1:17-18 | Romans 15:13
On our way to Pentecost, Jesus walks into the rooms of our lives that we have locked up tight – this is really good news. He is much more committed to our freedom, our wholeness, our ability to live an abundant life than we are. He was so committed that He gave His life to make it possible. Then, He rose again and came to find us. He came to meet us right in the middle of our questions. Jesus is a safe place to bring our fear and our doubt. He doesn’t condemn or belittle. In the midst of fear, He commissions. In the midst of doubt, He authors faith. An encounter with Jesus catapults us out of the areas we are locked in and into the mission He has for us by breathing the peace of His presence on us – a promise that He’ll always be with us.
Thomas Recommissioned
I love Thomas’ passion. He wants to see for himself, why? I believe it was because all this mattered so much to him. He valued it. He valued it so much that he had to see for himself. I believe Jesus met Thomas at a very critical point in his walk - either the past 3 years were for nothing, or they would catapult him into a new way of living. Some of us are at this crux in our story.
If we look deeper at this moment in John 20:24, it’s as if Jesus was meeting Thomas where he was at to recommission him. Let’s think about it. Thomas had given everything to follow Jesus. So, when he thought it might all be over, no wonder he was hesitant to believe again. And how did Jesus handle this important moment? He didn’t dismiss what was happening within him, instead He made space and took the time to answer His deep inner question that we would all be asking - "Is this worth giving my life for again?” No wonder he needed to see for himself! This moment becomes so much more than a picture of ‘Thomas the Doubter’ overcoming doubt. It becomes a rededication to follow Jesus again into the mystery of an uncertain future. It’s as if Jesus found Thomas at the point where he was deciding – “Am I going to keep doing this whole Jesus thing or is this it?”
And when He saw Jesus’ scars, fears were eased and new faith began to grow.
I’m sure Thomas was wondering, like the rest of them, “All we know to do is follow You and if You’re not going to be with us, how can we live this life?” Jesus answers this deep question (and more!) with the release of His Holy Spirit - the promised helper, comforter, counsellor, truth-teller, guide, sin-convicter, peace.
The reality of the with-ness of Jesus through Holy Spirit changes everything for us. Just like the disciples, we now have constant access to everything that we need to accomplish His mission on earth. The hard truth is that we may not have everything we need to accomplish our mission, but we’ll always have all we need to accomplish His. Can you sense the internal tension when these two start to butt heads? We question God’s goodness, His faithfulness, His desire and intention towards us. But sometimes a dead end is the greatest blessing because the abundant life only comes when we lose ours (our will, our way, our plans) and take up His (His will, His way, His plans). We can’t find abundant life without submitting to Him and His ways, though we try so, so hard. If you haven’t wrestled with this yet, you will - even Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane!
As we head on to Pentecost, where we are preparing to celebrate God’s faithfulness in making us the permanent dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, I pray that we have a revelation of just how incredible this is! That we would ask more often for Holy Spirit to help us to surrender to Him and to show us Jesus. That we would be freshly convicted of His presence, more aware and more sensitive to Him in us and in the world around us. Holy Spirit is on the earth to accomplish the mission of the Father – to reconcile all things to Himself. When we try to use Holy Spirit to accomplish our own will, we lose touch with Him and the way He’s working, and we become dull to His desires and His presence within us. It’s easy to get distracted from what we were born again into – a family on our Father’s mission.
When we stay locked behind our closed doors of fear, Jesus steps in to breathe peace and to commission us to go. Peace isn’t just so that we could be comforted for the sake of being comforted. It’s so that we can go in power and confidence, now bringing peace to the world around us. He steps into the places where we are doubting – maybe filled with doubt or maybe simply questioning – and He ignites faith so we can carry His mission into our world. We’re a family on our Father’s mission – what a privilege!
Reflection Questions
What did you sense God doing in you this weekend? What was stirring? If Holy Spirit began to reveal something, follow that lead! Set aside time to listen and wait. If not, ask Holy Spirit why you didn’t’ sense anything and see what He reveals.
Do you feel stuck? Ask Holy Spirit to come search you and see if there is anything in you that’s resisting God. Are there places of stubbornness that are causing you to be stuck? One glimpse of Him begins to melt those calloused places of our hearts.
What does living our God’s mission in your world look like in your life right now?
Where have you been on your own mission apart from God’s? Take some time to repent and turn from your own agenda and recommit to His.
Are you in the crux of deciding if you’re going to keep going after God’s mission or launch out on your own? Ask Holy Spirit to come and breathe on you again. He wants to meet you in your questions and recommission you. Stay and receive.
Praying for the Church
Where the church has strayed from the mission of God and onto our own mission, we repent. Where we have blamed God for not providing what we needed to accomplish our own mission, we repent. Forgive us for living our lives small and selfishly. That is not the way to abundant life and where we are disillusioned that it is the way, wake us up, Lord! Let closed doors, lack and limitations lead us right back to You!
Pray that we would have a deeper awareness of Holy Spirit. Where we have become dull, we repent for ignoring and not valuing His presence in our lives.
Pray for those who are facing fear and doubt and are in the valley of decision as to whether or not they will continue on with God’s mission or go their own way. Pray that the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation would come and reveal Jesus to them. Reignite passion in our hearts for You and Your mission.
Pray over the stubborn, calloused hearts. Forgive us, Lord, for resisting You so much that we’ve become hard-hearted. Walk through those walls again and breathe on us again. Soften our hearts with your Spirit.
Praying for our Schools
The Invitation | Love Tells the Story
For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. - 2 Corinthians 5:14,15 NIV
Lord, we pray for educators and students who are curious about the story of Jesus. We pray that they would hear of your great love and how it has changed many lives. May those who have been changed by this great love pass it on to those around them. Amen.