It’s a familiar scenario that happened seven times in Jesus’ ministry.

It’s Saturday and Jesus sees a man or woman in desperate need of help.  He speaks the word and they experience immediate Divine healing.  However, the Jewish leaders are watching, and they get all bent out of shape over the fact that Jesus did “work” on the Sabbath.  Sometimes Jesus just ignores them.  Other times he rebukes them and points out their hypocrisy, but in John 5, after healing a crippled man at the pool of Bethesda, Jesus’ response is particularly enlightening.

But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.” John 5:17

I don’t want to take Jesus’ words too far out of context.  In the passage he was being persecuted by the Jews because, in their view, he had violated Mosaic law and Jesus’ responds by pointing out an obvious fact. God the Father and God the Son are completely engaged 24/7. Their kingdom agenda doesn’t stop on the sabbath. And since Jesus is “Lord of the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:8), he can and will do whatever he pleases, thank you very much!  But as I read Jesus’ words this morning, I took it in a much more personal way.

“My Father is always working, and so am I.”

In my life and yours, every hour of every day, in every situation great or small, good or bad, Jesus is working.  He never stops, never takes a break and his work is never frustrated. His kingdom work in my life and yours is ongoing and happens even when we don’t see it or acknowledge it. But I believe that our lives would hugely benefit from taking on board that simple, yet profound truth. In every situation, God is always working in my life.

Tuesday, I shot my entire morning driving to a funeral that happened the day before.  I knew something was up when I arrived 15 minutes early and absolutely no one was there.  I sat in the church parking lot over in Manheim and with the help of my administrative assistant, Christel, we figured it out. I was exactly 24 hours too late.  I was hoping for a little sympathy from her, but she just laughed. Forty-six miles and two hours gone.

Now, I’m not exactly sure how God was working in all of that. I do know that I listened to some encouraging Christian radio on the way, spoke and prayed over the phone with a woman who is new to our church and has just been diagnosed with a rare blood cancer, and came away with a timely illustration for this devotional blog….  maybe that was it, I don’t know. Maybe it was something else complete off my radar, like learning to check my calendar more carefully.  But the truth is, our days are filled with all kinds of frustrations, setbacks, disappointments and discouragements.  If we believe that God is in it because he’s always working, we don’t have to respond in anger, exasperation or self-condemnation. Instead, we are open to a whole new world of possibilities as we quickly adjust and joining God in his work.

So, this week, when you make a mistake or hear some bad news or things don’t go your way, pause and say, “God is in this because he’s always working.” Say it out loud!

• Your car breaks down on the way home from work… God is in this because he’s always working.
• You miss an event or opportunity… God is in this because he’s always working.
• You find out that a needed medical procedure isn’t covered by insurance… God is in this because he’s always working.

In Genesis 50:40, after a lifetime of unpredictable events, both negative and positive, Joseph testified, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good.” So, whatever happens this week, we can be confident “that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).