"Jesus gave them this answer: “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."
John 5:19. NIV
I want to do what the Father is
doing. Jesus only did what he saw the Father doing. I can see my hand in front
of my face. I can see cheesecake. But my eyes don’t seem to see what the Father
is doing.
A couple of weeks ago on my
morning walk, as I passed a downtown bar, I noticed a folded up $20 bill on the
sidewalk. My eye was drawn to it immediately. I have a gift for recognizing
money. Even folded into quarter-size, my eye discerned the color, shape, and
value of the object.
What would it be like to have
such sharp eyes for the Father’s work? To recognize the nuances of his
presence? I knew a man once, a long time ago, who could see the Holy Spirit on
unbelievers. During an evangelism event on campus, he pointed out a woman
sitting on the quad, listening.
“God is speaking to that woman.
Why don’t you talk to her?”
I approached her and had a good
conversation about the reality of Jesus.
I have been in other groups
recently where people say they can see the Holy Spirit doing the work of the Father.
So far, that’s not something I can see. Can you? We have been trained to see
$20 bills. Maybe the Father, if we ask him, would gift us with the ability to
see the color and shape of his hand at work. Then we too, could do what we see
the Father doing.
Father we need gifts of discernment. We want to see your hand at work
so that we can do what you are doing.