(John 5:15,17 NIV) So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.”
This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” John chapter five opens with Jesus performing a great miracle. He healed a man who had been paralyzed for 38 years. For the most part, the witnesses were ecstatic about the miracle. However, the religious leadership of the time, who were present to see what Jesus did, were upset that Jesus had the unmitigated gall to perform a miracle on the Sabbath. I love Jesus’ response to their discontent. He said, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” In effect, Jesus was saying, “I spent time with My Father this morning. I already had my whole day worked out for Me because I had fellowship with the One who made days. My Father already had a plan to heal this man today and He gave me instructions to be the one through which the healing would take place. This healing came as a result of My Father working, and Me knowing what He wanted to do. Since He wanted to work today, I am working today.” What a way to live! That is what I call Living By Faith! And guess what? We can do the same thing. Jesus did not have a monopoly on prayer. Actually, He expected us to do what He did (see John 14:12). Jesus expected us to hear from the Father and to perform the Father’s will daily.
The very next verse says, “For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” Jesus was saying that God Himself was giving Him instructions and the religious leadership were not happy, because they could not hear from God. They were also upset that Jesus healed a man on Saturday, because they could not heal him any day of the week. The man was lame for 38 years. If the religious leaders could have done something about it, they would have, but they could not and the reality of the their inadequacy made them insecure; so they lashed out at Jesus. But Jesus was not concerned. Jesus responded, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these” (verses 19,20). We will take a closer look at these two verses tomorrow.
So what does this mean to you today? Two things:
1. Prayer can order your day. You can either allow your day to order your prayer or you can allow your prayer to order our day. If you don’t pray first, inevitably something will happen that will drive you to pray. At that point your day is ordering your prayer. However, if you pray first, seeking the will of the Father for your day and then stepping out to perform it (like Jesus did), then your prayer will order your day.
2. Prayer is essential to accomplish God’s will in the earth. Prayer is the medium through which man discovers what the Father desires to do in the earthly realm, so that man can participate in the process and agree with the Spiritual realm to bring it to pass.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for this teaching. It is clear that Jesus had daily communion with You in prayer. If Jesus saw a need to pray, there is no way I am going to maximize my purpose and potential without it. I pray today and I shall pray every day of my life. You give me direction and insight in the morning, through prayer, that enables me to maximize the day. My prayer orders my day. In the morning, through prayer, You show me my day and with my own tongue I tell my day what type of day it is going to be. I then step out into the day with the confidence of knowing that You are on me, in me, with me, and for me, to bring to pass what was prayed. Living by faith is exciting and I am excited about today! In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
