Heart Tracks - Sustained

       In John 4, Jesus is approached by a father whose son is at the point of death.  The father had traveled a distance to see Jesus, and upon arrival, asked Him to come with him to his son.  Christ simply said to him, "Go, your son will live."  Scripture says that , "The man believed the word that was spoken to him and started on his way.  As he was going down his slaves met him and told the child was alive.."  He asked them just when the recovery had taken place, and they told him that it was at one in the afternoon of the previous day.  The father realized that this was the exact moment that Jesus had told him that his son would live.  Commenting on this passage, Eugene Peterson wrote of the father that "He had nothing to sustain him on his trip homeward but the word of Jesus."  In the end, isn't that ultimately what is true for all who say they trust in Him?

    All who are His are on a journey to home.  In that journey there will be many places of "nothing" outwardly.  Nothing to encourage, nothing to support, nothing to trust in, nothing to sustain us.  Nothing but the life of Christ and the words of life He has spoken, and continues to speak even now.  When the disciples left Jesus alone at the well near the Samaritan village, they had gone into town to find sustenance, food, for the journey.  When they returned, they tried to get him to eat some of the food they'd found.  He refused, telling them He "had food to eat that they knew nothing about."  As a friend put it, while they were at the local McDonald's trying to satisfy their hunger, Christ was feasting on bread and meat of heaven itself.  Kingdom food.  I think one of the keys to the completing the journey home is to realize that all the while, we are at home in Him, partaking of His life, His truth, His "food."  All that the McDonald's of this world can offer cannot, will not sustain us.  If we look to them, we will have nothing, but if we look to and in Him, we will have all we need, and abundantly more, to sustain us for every part of the journey.  No matter how long or difficult it may be or become.
     Most of the believing church around the world has seen the "closing"of all their local "McDonald's."  They have nothing to sustain them but His life and word, and somehow, gloriously so, it is more than enough.  Not so for we who say we are His here in the west.  Our various McDonald's are sill going strong, yet I believe that will be changing, and soon.  When that happens, is the state of our walk, our journey such that though having nothing to sustain us but His life and word, it's enough to make it home.  If we are already living in and experiencing Him as home, it will be.  If we're not............

Blessings,
Pastor O