Once more he asked them, “Who are you looking for?”
Again they replied, “Jesus the Nazarene.”
“I told you that I AM he,” Jesus said. “And since I am the one you want, let these others go.”
Evil overtook creation in the Garden of Eden, but God already had a plan to win creation back. We catch a glimpse of that plan in this passage describing Jesus’ response to the men who came to arrest him in Gethsemane.
“Be still, and know that I am God!”
Our Father asks us to separate ourselves from the noise of our busy lives so we can give him our full attention. Below is an expanded interpretation of God’s request for this sacred meeting with us.
[God speaking]: My child, as you prepare to meet Me, be still, and know that I am God!
Still your BODY—
Plant your feet firmly on the ground.
Close your eyes to shut out visual distractions. Turn your gaze inward so you can see Me.
Release your hands; let them rest.
Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
This passage has long served as a commissioning creed for Christian missionaries around the globe.
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. It has been said that if you truly believe this very first sentence in Genesis, then you will have no trouble believing the rest of the Bible.
Furthermore, if you believe with all your mind and heart that God is the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of everything you are, everything you know, and everything you see around you, then it will be easier for you to relinquish control over your circumstances.
We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
As much as we like to think we are in charge of our choices, we can all admit to times when we felt compelled to act in particular ways, perhaps against our will or better judgment. We may have reacted without thinking or followed a wrong path out of fear or habit. We may have hurt others or ruined a relationship for reasons we can’t explain.
