Keep Coming

Jesus said: Whoever comes to me will never be hungry. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

I want to spend a moment on that word — believes. Because in our culture, belief usually means intellectual agreement. I believe it's going to rain. I believe the earth is round. But that's not what Jesus means here.

When Jesus says believe, he means something closer to trust. If I say I believe in a close friend, I don't mean I believe she exists. I mean I trust her. I'd follow her. I have confidence in her.

And here's something I find really freeing. In the original Greek, both verbs — comes and believes — imply ongoing, continuous action. A more faithful translation might be: The one keeping coming to me will never be hungry. The one keep trusting in me will never be thirsty.

Not the one who came once. The one who keeps coming back.

A few years ago, our daughter was going through a really hard time. I lost a lot of sleep. I would pray and hand it over to God — and feel genuine peace. And then, sometimes within hours, I'd realize I was holding it all again. I’d wake up at two in the morning… Anxious. Worried. 

Someone once told me: you're the pastor. You're supposed to turn it over once and be done with it.

But I don't think that's what faith actually looks like. Not for most of us. Not most of the time. Jesus is saying: keep coming. Keep trusting. When you drift — and you will — turn back. And then turn back again.

I will meet you. I will feed you.

And I've found that to be true. Maybe you have too.

Where have you drifted lately? What would it look like, today, to turn back?

Prayer: Jesus, we keep picking it back up. We keep trying to carry what we've already handed to you. Help us to turn back. Again. And again. And to trust that you will meet us there. Amen.

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