Entering into a Daily Conversation with God

Over the last two days, I have written two parts to a three part series, based on my ministry last Sunday morning. These three parts are:

1. Outside of the Box


2. Translating Theology Into Life


3. Entering into a Daily Conversation with God

This morning, I'm going to share the third and last installment of my Sunday message.

So far, we've noted two important lessons that have emerged from the story of John 11:

• The ever-present God refuses to be boxed by our expectations, and because of his on-going work in our lives, will tend to act "outside of the box" of our presumptions, doing unexpected things that further his purpose in our lives.

• The ever-present God does not allow us to hide behind abstract theology, but continually challenges us to translate that theology into the faith that applies to the here and now.

Let's now take a closer look at Jesus' interaction with Martha to learn more of the actual process he used in taking Martha from her starting-point faith (in his identity as "the healer") to a new level of faith (in his identity as "the resurrection and the life"), or leading her in a process of, as The Amplified Bible renders Romans 1:17, "springing from faith and leading to faith [disclosed through the way of faith that arouses to more faith]..."

As we saw yesterday, Martha's first words to Jesus upon his arrive at the outskirts of Bethany had probably been well rehearsed. As she had waited for Jesus to come, Martha had likely gone over what she would say to Jesus in her mind, and when he finally did arrive, those words were: "Lord...if you had been here, my brother would not have died." But what interests me most is what immediately follows that statement, for in John 11:22, Martha says:"But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." This, as we saw yesterday, was the seed of faith which the Lord would now focus on. From this tiny seed would germinate a new and deeper level of faith.

As I read John 11:21-27, I realised that Jesus' interaction with Martha took place in the form of a conversation - a series of questions and answers:

• Martha starts of with a "loaded" statement: ""Lord...if you had been here, my brother would not have died" (John 11:21). But this statement contains a hidden question: "Why didn't you come earlier?"

• Martha closes her first statement with a declaration of faith: "But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask" (John 11:22).

• Jesus responds to Martha's opening statement with a statement of his own: "Your brother will rise again" (John 11:23).

• Martha replies with her own theological interpretation of Jesus' statement: "I know [my brother] will rise again in the resurrection at the last day" (John 11:24).

• Jesus answers with a statement that aims to reshape Martha's theology and apply it to the here-and-now: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die..." (John 11:25-26).

• Jesus finishes his declaration with a question: "Do you believe this?" (John 11:26). This question is the pivot point in Jesus' conversation with Martha. In fact, it is the primary reason why Jesus delayed his return - in order to bring Martha (and others) to this point of faith (note John 11:15, 42).

• Martha replies: "Yes, Lord...I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world" (John 11:27). This is what Jesus was after. Martha is no longer using abstract theology to sidestep the implications of Jesus' delay, but fully recognises that the answer to her crisis fully lies within the person of the Lord Jesus. She doesn't yet fully understand the reasons for Jesus' actions, but her faith is fully focused on him.

This interaction between Jesus and Martha reveals how God works in our lives. The Lord seeks to enter a conversation with us, a conversation that has a goal - the nurturing and deepening of our faith in him. Right now, you too are in the midst of a conversation with the Lord. Your situation is different from Martha's, yet the Lord is speaking with you, just as he did with Martha.

There are only three kinds of responses you can make to this "conversation" with God:

• "No!" - This effectively closes the conversation, like slamming a book shut. At at later time, the Lord will seek to reopen the conversation with you, but for now, you've closed the work of God in your live. For obvious reasons, I don't recommend this response.

• "Why?" - This is the open-ended part of the conversation. This is where you give the Lord the opportunity to speak into your life, deepening your faith and drawing you into a new revelation of who he is. I used to think that all that was required was a "yes" and then God would get on with doing what he wanted to do in my life (specifically, thought I, bringing the answer to my need), but now I realise that this is actually the most important element in the conversation. While I don't recommend dragging this part of the conversation out unnecessarily, I now understand that it is in this middle part of the "conversation sandwich" where real revelation takes place. So don't be afraid to ask questions and unburden your heart to the Lord. It is only as we ask the hard "why" questions that we discover depths in the Lord we have never seen before.

• "Yes!" - This is ultimately what the Lord is after...but not just a perfunctory "yes" spoken out of obligation ("Well, I better say 'yes' to God, otherwise I don't have faith..."). This "yes" must be a "yes" born out of a genuine revelation of who the Lord is.

Like "No!", a response of "Yes!" effectively closes the conversation with the Lord, but on a positive note. The work of revelation is now complete, and faith in God, based on this new revelation, is now the key force. Once the conversation is complete, God then gets to work to bring the answer he has purposed to bring (although there are times when the conversation is actually not yet over, and God is still continuing his work of deepening our faith - this is called "the trial of faith" - 1 Peter 1:6-7; James 1:2-4). For Martha, her "Yes, Lord" was the point at which the work of God switched gears and moved toward the resurrection event that he knew was his reason for coming to Bethany (see John 11:11).

In John 11:28-29, we read what happens after Jesus finished his conversation with Martha:

"And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. 'The Teacher is here,' she said, 'and is asking for you.' When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him."

I find it interesting that Jesus now asked specifically for Mary (even those he chose to wait at the outskirts of the village - John 11:30). Mary came to Jesus, and John 11:32 records what happened next:

"When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, 'Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.'"

Do you notice that Mary's first words are identical to Martha's original first words? From this we can see two things:

1. Martha and Mary had the same question as their starting point (they had obviously rehearsed the same question together in the days waiting for Jesus to arrive).

2. Mary had not been part of the conversation Jesus had already had with Martha, and so Jesus' conversation with Mary began again at the same point of entry.

And do you notice how Jesus responds? His conversation with Mary takes a totally different direction, because Mary's need was different from Martha's, for John 11:33 tells us that Jesus was "deeply moved in spirit and troubled", resulting in John 11:35 (the shortest verse in the Bible and, I believe, one of the most profound):

"Jesus wept."

I believe that the work God was doing in Mary's life, unlike Martha's, did not require the spoken word but rather identification. Rather than speaking into Mary's life, Jesus answered her hidden question by opening his heart and weeping with her. The conversation that Jesus entered into with Mary was one without words.

In John 5:17, Jesus declared:

"My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working."

Jesus, who is "the same yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8), is at work in your life in the here-and-now. He seeks to enter into a conversation with you, just as he did with Martha and Mary. In fact, every day represents either the continuation of an existing conversation with the Lord, or the beginning of a new one.

I encourage you to start each day with this conversation in mind. What is the Lord saying to you? What unresolved questions do you have to ask the Lord? For out of this daily conversation will emerge a unique work of God, tailor-made for your need and your situation.