Doing Nothing on My Own

John 8:25-30
"Who are you?" they asked. "Just what I have been claiming all along," Jesus replied. "I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is reliable, and what I have heard from him I tell the world." They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him." Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him.

What would it be like to do nothing on my own? What would it be like to turn to Jesus for everything I do, everything I say, every decision I make?

It is easy to turn to Jesus when the road is rough. The "Jesus help me" prayer came effortlessly from my lips when my world fell apart and I had no other place to turn. It was easy to do nothing on my own when everything I did failed. The prayer, "Lord, get me out of here" is a no-brainer when I have already been driven to my knees. But what about the other times? What about the everyday, mundane, trivial, ho-hum decisions I make every waking hour of my life. How hard are they to give up to Jesus?

How hard would it be to turn "Hmmm, what should I wear today" into "Lord, what would you have me wear today?"

How hard would it be to turn "Hmmm, what should I make for dinner", into "Lord, what would you have me make for dinner?"

How hard would it be to turn each casual conversation into "Lord, what would you have me say to them?"

How hard can it be to give up my will on the things which really don't matter one way or another?

I have been trying. It's hard! My brain throws me a block with "Jim, this is dumb." I repeatedly forget to do it. I crack the glass on a brand new blender because I decided to use boiling water to clean it. I arrive one day at work with my shirt on inside out. But then it starts getting easier. I get better at discerning His voice, because even in the little "failures" I learn that the whisper I heard and followed was not His. My whims and His whims are becoming easier to separate. His voice is becoming more recognizable. I am feeling more connected.

In the context of this passage, the Pharisees are asking Jesus just who the heck He thinks He is. He responds that when they lift Him up on a cross, then they will know that He is everything He claims to be. And as He spoke those words, many put their faith in Him, for they heard in His voice the Truth and its reverberating echoes all the way from Creation to Eternity.

That is the voice I seek. That is the Friend I want to know better. That is the Counselor I want to place my faith in to the point where I do nothing on my own but speak only what He has taught me. My guess is, that would please Him immensely.

Lord, help me hear Your voice. Give me the strength and determination to step out in faith even when there is a risk of bumping into a wall or falling flat on my face. Help me learn Your way around the obstacles and teach me with each misstep. Be my Friend and Advocate as I practice keeping You before me in everything I do. Let Your will be done in me and through me. I yearn to do what pleases You. Always. Help me become all You say I can be. Amen.