John 6:22-29
The people were looking for Jesus, not merely because he had satisfied their physical need for food but because he had touched their lives.
His words aroused in them a hunger for more—more of the freedom and peace he showed, more of his Holy Spirit in their hearts.
So how do we believe? Maybe the best place to start is by sitting quietly before the Lord and recalling the foundation of your faith:They were stirred up —“What can we do?” they asked—but they didn’t understand until Jesus explained it to them: Only one “work” is necessary, to “believe in the one [God] sent” (John 6:29).
Believing requires knowledge, too.
- God loves you.
- He is on your side.
- He wants good for you.
- Fill your mind with that truth, and watch as the Holy Spirit fills your heart with it as well.
- The Father sent Jesus for you, to open the way to a relationship with him, a way to hear his voice and be filled with his life.
- Don’t worry if you think you don’t know his love very well.
- God really enjoys revealing it in greater and greater depths.
Finally, start looking for God to act in the situations you face every day.
- Read Scripture to discover more about God and what pleases him.
- Read to acquire a background of truth in your mind—truth about who God is, what he’s done in the past, what his plans and desires for the future are.
- When you don’t understand, ask questions!
- He will answer and teach you.
- Like the psalmist, reflect on God’s word.
- You can discover so much of what God is capable of doing just by reading Scripture—
- and knowing it can bolster your faith immensely!
“Father, you sent your Son so that I could know you. Teach me as I read your word today. Fill me with your truth and strengthen my belief.”
- Knowing what he can do and what he has done, bring him to those situations.
- Pray for healing, believing that God wants to heal. Ask for wisdom, knowing God has promised to share his thoughts with you.
- Trust him to supply the power, presence, or timing of the work he wants done.
- Hold on to what you have read and learned from God—maybe write them down in a prayer journal
- . For as you bring him your requests, wrapped in faith, you will find him answering in amazing ways!
And from the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:2) we have:All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him
and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
And … from Exodus 34:There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light
Stephen’s face shone like that of an angel; Jesus’ face was like that of an angel; Moses’ face shone.When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai.
When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. But whenever he entered the LORD’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD