From the earliest days of the Vineyard, the question, “WHAT IS THE FATHER DOING?” has expressed the Vineyards’ commitment to hearing God’s voice and being the hands and feet  of Jesus to continue His Kingdom ministry.  The question grows out of Jesus’ teaching in John 5. He has just healed a man on the Sabbath, and the religious leaders are furious that he did this “work” on the Sabbath.  Jesus defended his actions by saying,

“My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.  Very truly I tell you, 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: 17, 19

•  THE FATHER IS ALWAYS AT WORK.  What an amazing source of encouragement.  No matter where we go, no matter who we are interacting with, the Father is always at his work.

• JESUS’ APPROACH TO MINISTRY WAS TO WATCH WHAT THE FATHER WAS DOING, AND THEN TO JOIN HIM.  Jesus depended completely on the Father.  What the Father initiated, Jesus would do.  What a relief; we all know we can’t heal anyone, or save anyone . . . but the Father can, and does!  So we join Him.

When you put these two ideas together, you can see the significance of the prayer, “WHAT IS THE FATHER DOING?”

You can certainly ask this question when you’re on your own in prayer.  But it’s even more effective to ask it with your eyes open, looking around, and praying.  “Father, what are you doing in these peoples lives?  What are you at work doing in this situation that is going on all around me?”  Our perspective changes when we are looking around with this question in our heart.

• “THE FATHER LOVES THE SON AND SHOWS HIM ALL HE DOES.”  (vs 20).  The good news is that because of the work of Jesus for us on the cross and our relationship to him, we have been adopted into God’s family.  We too are his beloved sons and daughters, and just as he showed Jesus what he was going, he will also show us.

This week as you go about your normal routine, ask the Father, “What are You doing in this situation and in the lives of these people?”

I’D LOVE TO HEAR ANY OF YOUR STORIES OF WHAT THE FATHER IS DOING