Misunderstanding

A powerful sentence from this episode that stuck with me was this:

"You are not alone in misunderstanding."

The disciples follow Jesus, but actually understand very little of what exactly is happening.

And that's how I often feel. What is the right answer in this situation? How should I deal with him or her? What position should I take? Should I deal with this at all? And then when? Just a few questions.

The text from Ephesus gives you direction.

Pray

Verse 14 begins with "bending the knees." A humble posture of prayer you might say. Do you want answers to your questions? Then start with an attitude of prayer. Submit your question to the Lord.

I must honestly say that I often get to work on my own first, but one of the keys is to turn to Him first. He is a God who answers prayer!

Together

In verse 18 you read that we can understand together with all the saints. The verse goes on, of course, but I want to emphasize together for a moment. If you and I seek answers and do not include others in that, chances are we will get a wrong or incomplete answer. We need each other to find a complete and comprehensive answer. Do you realize that? And do you have trusted fellow believers around you to whom you can put your questions?

Mindset

Another thing I want to give you today is about the way you think.

When you and I seek answers to our questions, how do we seek? Do we want to know whether it's right or wrong; whether it is or isn't?

Then chances are we are thinking from a "bounded set”. It is not so much about finding the answer then, but about the answer itself. When we have our answer, we know how things are (we think). Then it's right or wrong, left or right. With this mindset you often get stuck. Of course there are things where this "works," but often only to a very limited extent.

When you go to Jesus with your question, ask yourself "What would Jesus do?", and seek His light over the situation with others, you work from a different mindset. You might call that a "centered set".

Whatever the question, you go to Jesus with it and together with others you seek His truth.

You move towards Him in your searching, so to speak. The emphasis here is not so much on the outcome, but much more on the path toward it, the process. How you can do this together. And how this brings you and the other closer to Jesus' heart. Moving away from Jesus is not an option, but as we move toward Him together, we get closer and closer to each other.

Take the following questions to think about:

• What do you do with your questions?
• What place does prayer have in it?
• Do you have people around you with whom you can talk about your questions?
• (Do an internet search on ‘bounded versus centered set’ and ask yourself: how do I think? Is Jesus at the center?)

Prayer: "Lord, today I want to come to You again with all my questions. You are the way, the truth and the life. That is exactly what I need. Lord, I confess that I often seek my own solutions and rely on myself. Today I ask You again - speak Lord, teach me, show me how to follow You and become more and more like You. Amen."