When You Have Nowhere Else to Go
By Cindi McMenamin
Bible Reading:
“So Jesus said to the twelve, ‘You do not want to leave also, do you?’ Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life’” (John 6:67-68 NASB).
After Jesus had said some difficult words for His followers to understand, many of them got up and left. Some probably realized He wasn’t the conquering Messiah-king they had hoped for. Others perhaps got frustrated with not being able to understand Jesus’ words. After many of them left, Jesus asked His remaining twelve disciples if they, too, wanted to leave.
That’s when Peter spoke up and boldly proclaimed, “To whom shall we go?” In other words, “We have nowhere else to go.”
Have you ever felt like that?
I remember the day I felt I had nowhere else to go but to Him. My parents had just split up, and there was no security in my home, in my plans, or in my heart. Today, I look back on that day as the moment in which I took ownership of my faith. The moment in which my bond with Him was sealed, and I realized I had nowhere else to go but to Him.
When we grow up learning about Jesus from the time we’re young, or if we’ve walked with Him a while, we can get complacent and put our lives in cruise control and fail to acknowledge His presence, direction, wisdom, guidance, and love every moment of our day. Faith becomes a compartment that is added to the many elements of our life, instead of becoming our whole life. That’s when disappointment can rock us.
The apostle Paul opened his letter to the Colossians with instructions for followers if they are truly His:
Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory (verses 1-4).
If you have been raised with Christ. It appears to be an if/then situation. If we are His and have been transformed by His death and resurrection, we are to keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is. That means we are to keep our minds on our eternal home, have eternal priorities and values, live as if we are here temporarily, and we will soon be in our real home with the Lover of our souls. The verse goes on to say we have died and our lives are hidden with Christ in God. Our rights, our sense of entitlement, our preferences have died with Christ, and we are hidden, and He (and His character) is evident and on display for the world. Then the next line simply assumes that Christ is not just a part of our life, but is our whole life.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
When we consider Christ—not a partner or spouse, child, or even a job—as our whole life, we safeguard ourselves from misplaced priorities and frequent disappointment.
God is the Only One who will never disappoint us. And I realize that you may believe that in your heart of hearts, but life still hurts. Being vulnerable enough to tell a loved one what you need from them and then coming up empty because they have no idea how to respond can leave us feeling sore to the core.
So where do you and I go with that? Our answer must be the same as Peter’s: “Lord, there is no one else that we can go to!” (CEV).
I have learned to echo Peter’s words by making Psalm 73:25-26 my life’s motto, as well as the cry of my heart. In the Contemporary English Version, that passage reads:
“In heaven I have only you, and on this earth you are all I want. My body and mind may fail, but you are my strength and my choice forever.”
In other words, Christ, who is my life.
Where do you go when others disappoint? Be already depending on Him, and the disappointments will come less often. What do you do when you begin to lack contentment? Remember who is your life and that in His presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). Where do you turn when you feel directionless or lacking in purpose? To the One who is your life, your compass, your purpose.
Lord, may You be the object of my heart, my focus, my direction, my life. You gave up Your life on this earth so I could belong to You forever. I give You my life and desires and realize I have nowhere else to go—but to You.
Further Reading:
Psalm 84
For help prioritizing your day with Jesus, see Cindi McMenamin’s book, The New Loneliness Devotional: 50 Days to a Closer Connection with God.
How did today’s devotional speak to you? Share your thoughts in the Crosswalk Devotional discussion.
Photo Credit: Unsplash/Jared Murray
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