When You Want Something From Jesus Don’t Do The Wrong Thing

Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself. — John 6:15

Ok, this verse and moment are critical. Here is why. This is entirely the wrong response to Jesus.

Let's recount the story of John by recalling the miracles we've read about so far. He has turned water wine. He healed an official's son. He healed a lame man by the pool. And now he feeds 5000+ people. These are remarkable events that amass crowds of people. And why? The people want these things. They want food, healing, and cleansing. And Jesus is compassionately giving these things to them for a reason. And as he does, Jesus provides them with the best of the best. The best wine. The best healing. The best cleansing. The best food. The best they have ever seen, experienced, and enjoyed.

But now, these miracles have created a secondary issue. They are so incredible that they're distracting from the purpose, resulting in the wrong response. Now the masses only want more of the same. They want more natural solutions — more miracles that produce the same natural effect, and as a result, they want to make Jesus their king.

The funny thing is Jesus already is King. But they want a king of their own making. A king who gives them anything they want. And this is the wrong response to Jesus. So Jesus slips away.

The point is this. Sometimes we come to Jesus to get only the things we want. The things we think will provide us with the satisfaction we need. So in our prayers, we lay before Jesus our natural needs. And guess what? Jesus cares about these things. He cares about your finances, career, shelter, health, car, and so much more. But often, we present these things to Jesus, hoping for a specific outcome because we have an idea about what would be the best solution. We plead with him for the miracle we want, playing to his compassion, but in our mind, we have created a king of our making. This is not the king Jesus is. He is not a miracle worker who serves our pleasure for our purposes. These miracles were simply a prelude to the greatest miracle of all time, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. And the correct response is worshiping the one who is and always will be the miracle-working King.

ASK THIS: Are you worshiping the miracle-working King or a king of your own making?

DO THIS: Lay down your needs and simply worship the King today.

PRAY THIS: God, I set my needs aside and worship you this day. You are the way maker. Make a way and make it your way.

PLAY THIS: Way Maker.