If you haven’t done so already today, read John 11:1-44. But before you begin reading, quiet your mind by focusing on your breathing for a few seconds and invite God into this time, asking Him to help you pay attention to what stands out to you most today as you read this account all the way through.
Now go back and reread the verse, or verses if necessary, of what stood out to you most, and try to narrow it down to a single component…a single word, or action, or thought…within the text. And then ask God what He wants to show you through this today, whether it is a focus for your time of fasting today, or as you reflect on your time of fasting today.
There are so many wonderful and beautiful things within this passage that stand out for so many different reasons, but for some reason, for me, today, it centers around a seemingly obscure verse that just sort of happens where there is no real lead up to nor follow up from. In verse 16, after Jesus essentially says “Let’s go”, I almost envision Thomas getting up, not really having paid much attention to the whole discussion about Lazarus’ death still focused on the concerns about the reaction of the Jews to Jesus coming back to Judea, and with this calm but impassioned statement saying “Yeah, and let’s go too, so that we can die with Him.” And then apparently, they head out.
I can’t help but wonder, if in that moment, Jesus directly addressed anything about what Thomas said, maybe even as they walked to Judea…or if He just simply let it sit with all of them as it does with me today. “Let’s go too, and die with Jesus.” That’s the epitome of what we are called to as followers of Christ. A willingness, a conviction, an awareness of what this calling is all about as well as what it leads to. And as we enter this season of prayer and fasting, we engage in this communal experience being given just a taste and a reminder of what it means to sacrifice something for Him, to willingly die to something, even if just for a season, to give Christ more space in our lives to better hear His leading and direction as we join Him in fulfilling His mission.
May God bless you and keep you this day, giving you the strength, support, and clarity about who you are and what you are being called to do. May you hear His voice and follow.
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