“67 You do not want to leave too, do you? Jesus asked the Twelve. 68 Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
To Whom Shall We Go?
In the sixth chapter of John, we find Jesus feeding the 5,000 with loaves and fishes. Then, Jesus and the disciples left the area to get some rest. But, once the crowd realized they were gone, they went in search of them. Once they found Jesus, He taught them about bread and that He was the bread of life. The group began to argue with Christ, and many deserted Him that day. The people appeared more interested in Jesus’ miracles than His teachings about His true identity.
At the end of the chapter, Jesus askes the disciples if they will leave Him too. But Peter utters a beautiful truth in verse 69; ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” These words still ring true for us amid our trying times. If we walk away from our faith in Christ, where would we go to find something better?
In My Own Life
As I wrote in several previous posts, my son died many years ago, and this week would be his 28th birthday if he lived. After he died, I remember questioning my faith to the point of wondering why I continued to trust in God. Why would God allow my son to die? But then I remembered this story from the Gospel of John. And then, I realized that my journey of grief remained easier with Christ than without Him. Peter’s words uttered all those years ago reassured me in my faith. To whom shall we go when you, Jesus, have the words of eternal life?
Hope Shows us the Way
Even as the world around us mocks our faith, are they any better off without Christ? I do not think so. On the contrary, my faith provides me with a hope that an unbelieving world does not grasp. Moreover, my belief in God assures me that I will see my son again someday. But, my hope in Christ is more than just waiting on my eternal home. So, what other benefits do I get from my hope in Christ?
Benefits of Hope
- Hope can bring us joy and peace during turmoil. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Romans 15:13)
- Hope can give us courage, strength, and boldness instead of fear. “I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34:4)
- Hope can provide endurance and patience instead of tempting us to quit. “But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” (Romans 8:25)
- Hope can offer confidence in the face of doubt. “35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” (Hebrews 10:35-36)
Alternative Options
What does the world offer us that is better than Jesus? It might give us the freedom to sin, but with those freedom comes consequences that leave us feeling empty and unsatisfied. The world provides us selfishness that leaves us wanting more and more, but we can never get enough. And, in the end, a life without God leads us to eternal death. These might sound better in the short term but not a good alternative for all of eternity.
Only Jesus
Only to Jesus is the answer to the question, “To Whom Shall We Go?” The Bible is full of glorious promises of the benefits of following Christ.
- “Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35)
- “For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.” (Psalm 107:9)
- “The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live forever!” (Psalm 22:26)
- “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11)
“Jesus Christ brings life to weary hearts, hope to burdened minds, and guidance amid the uncertainty of this world.”
Prayer
Heavenly Father, the world wants us to question our faith and why we run to You. Please help us to understand that You are the only source of eternal life. Please remind us of how daily to trust only in You and Your ways. Thank you for the gift of hope. In Jesus’ Holy Name. Amen.
Do you need prayer? I would love to pray for you. Submit your prayer request on my website at https://yvonne-morgan.com/submit-your-prayer-request-here/
Grace and Peace to you,
Yvonne M. Morgan is a Christian #author, #blogger, and #speaker. #BibleGatewayPartner
Matthew 28:19 “Therefore, GO and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
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All through your post, the words of Luke 23:24 kept running through my mind. “Help me Lord to have the faith needed to hold onto You and never let go.” Even in the face of persecution, ostracization, and perhaps one day imprisonment, I pray for strength each day to endure one more day. I know my Savior is coming for us soon my friend; and what a rescue mission it will be, followed by a joyous celebration I don’t think we can even imagine. God’s blessings Ms. Yvonne; and thank you for such an encouraging word today.
Thank you for the kind words sir. I pray for the Lord to come rescue us soon as the world is becoming more dark on a daily basis. I also pray we can reach more people with God’s light before that time comes. It will be an awesome rescue mission and what a blessing to know that God won’t leave any of His people behind. God bless.
That should have been Luke 23:34; “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.” I sure wish comments had an edit feature, and I wasn’t always in such a hurry to not proofread before clicking the “Post” button. 🙂 Sorry about that.
No worries, I have done it myself many times 🤗
My heart breaks for those who don’t know the Father. I find peace in being able to go to Him in every situation. He provides the peace that only He can give.
Me too. I don’t understand how some people can go through turmoil without Christ. He is the only reason I am still standing. Thanks Melissa for your comment.
Your words and experience echo my own when my husband died. As you said so well, “my journey of grief remained easier with Christ than without Him.”
I am so sorry for your loss too but glad you had Christ to walk with you through the grief. Thanks Ava and God bless
God bless you, Yvonne! Hard things—tragedies, loss, pain, sickness—are so tough. But it’s all easier with Christ beside us than without Him. I’m so grateful you’ve known His peace and presence in your difficult moments of grief.
Thanks Jessica. He is our hope. God bless
What an excellent post, Yvonne! This was so encouraging, reading again the promises we have because of our hope and our trust in the Lord. Literally, to whom would we go if not to Him? He has all we need. He is the only One who ever does, and He is the only one who can fully satisfy and help us through this life and then admit us to our eternal dwelling place where we can be with Him forever.
Amen my sister. He is the answer to all our worldly problems. Praying for more people to listen and learn. God bless
Amen. Peter’s response to Jesus is one of my favorite thoughts in the Bible stories. Peter is so fond of live with Jesus that everything else pales in comparison. Thank you for unpacking this so that it’s fresh in my mind today.
Thanks Stephen. Peter is one of my favorite Bible people (besides Jesus) because he can be so spot on one minute and failing the next. I can so relate. God bless.
I’m so sorry for the loss of your son. But I rejoice that you are wise enough to see that Christ is the only way even after tragedy. There is nowhere else to go. God bless and comfort always.
Thank you Nancy. No matter what tragedies come, Christ is the only way. God bless
This is a powerful message, Yvonne. I love the title and how you put this article together. Especially discussing the benefits of hope. Jesus is the only one we go to!
He is the only way. Praying for all of those who do not know Him yet. Thanks Karen and God bless