Prayer Call: Let Him Get Close

Good Morning, BFB!

There are moments in our walk with God when the issue isn’t obedience; it’s proximity. We hear God clearly. We follow faithfully. We show up consistently. But when God starts moving closer to the parts of us we’ve learned to keep covered, we hesitate.

I believe that is the moment we see in John 13:6-10 (NIV). "He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.”

Jesus is in the upper room with His disciples on the night before the cross. The atmosphere is heavy, though the disciples don’t yet understand why. Jesus knows what's about to happen. The disciples do not. On this pivotal night Jesus does something unexpected. He kneels and begins washing their feet. When He comes to Peter, the moment slows down. I picture the room going silent as they watch the one they have walked with, called teacher and master, kneel down with a picture of water and basin to wash their feet. Peter questions Jesus, then resists Him. Not because he doesn’t love Jesus, but because what Jesus is doing feels too close, too personal, and too uncomfortable.

When Discomfort Looks Like Resistance
Peter’s response is honest. “Lord, are You going to wash my feet?” What he’s really saying is, This feels wrong. This feels backwards. This feels like too much. Feet were dirty, exposed, and personal. Peter was comfortable following Jesus, but not with Jesus touching the parts of his life that felt messy or unpresentable.

Many of us can relate. We’re fine with God guiding us, blessing us, and even challenging us. But when God starts dealing with habits, attitudes, wounds, or patterns we’ve learned to manage quietly, we pull back. Resistance doesn’t always come from rebellion. Sometimes it comes from discomfort. Sometimes it comes from fear. Sometimes it comes from shame.

Discomfort is often a sign that God is working close to the heart.

Openness Is the Pathway to Deeper Relationship
Jesus responds to Peter with a statement that reframes everything: “Unless I wash you, you have no share with Me.” Jesus isn’t threatening Peter’s place with Him. I argue that He’s defining the nature of relationship. He’s saying that closeness with God requires openness before God.

When Peter understands what’s at stake, his posture changes. He moves from resistance to surrender. “Then wash all of me,” he says. That’s not perfection by Peter. This is honesty and a shift. That’s the shift Jesus invites in all of us every day.

I believe this passage reminds us that growth doesn’t come from hiding what needs healing. It comes from allowing Jesus to touch what we’d rather keep hidden.

A Focus for the Week

• As you move through this week, let these questions guide your prayers and reflections:
• Where have I been hesitant to let God get close?
• What discomfort have I been avoiding instead of bringing to God?
• What would honesty with God look like in this season?

This is not a week to fix yourself. It’s a week to invite Jesus into the places you’ve been managing on your own. Choose openness over control. Prayer over performance. Healing over hiding.

When we let Jesus get close, we discover that His cleansing is never about shame. It’s always about love. Let him Get Close

I love you and there ain't nothing you can do about it....
FLC