"And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” —John 6:39-40
This life is full of crazy, unexpected twists and turns. Most days it is difficult to discern any clear, cohesive pattern within the chaos. All seems messy and unpredictable. The only proper expectation seems to be that our expectations will likely be wrong. Yet, if we could see things with God’s eyes and understand what He is doing in all the details, we would see that the chaos before us is a vapor covering the wonder and mystery of God’s loving will.
I believe the day will come when we get a much clearer picture of God’s mysterious work. Until that time, faith is required. A faith that chooses to trust that our perception and our limited understanding are not the best tools for assessing the deeper reality at play. No doubt they are important, but they are also fallible and insufficient. Without the lens of faith, our perception and understanding will leave us lacking and confused.
Jesus points to this lens of faith by graciously describing the will of the Father to us. He gently reminds us that He will lose nothing of what the Father has given Him. He reveals that the Father’s will is for all who believe in Jesus to be saved and raised to life on the last day. This is the God we serve. The God who wills our greatest good. The God to Whom even death yields.
So, what is required of us? Simply to look to the Son and believe. This is not complicated, nor is it easy. So much competes for our attention in this world. The chaos cries for us to be absorbed into its confusion and brokenness and to believe that there is no rhyme or reason in it all. Our pain and suffering plead with us to remain focused on what hurts. Faith calls us to look up and see Him who suffered and conquered death. To see and know that His will is for our good, and, unlike ours, His perfect, loving will cannot be stopped.
