January 20 Daily Devotional

The Way to God

Frans Bakker

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way.—John 14:6a

Bible Reading

John 14:1–6

Devotional

Dear reader, have you realized that you have lost your way? Do you wonder which way? The way to God! Of course, every road has a destination, otherwise there is no need for a road. Well, your destination lies in God. That is the reason you have been placed in this world. But the tragic misery of your life is that you have failed to reach your destination. You have become a wanderer because you have forsaken God. And there is no way back. There is no way for those on earth to reach the Lord who is above. Yet, to have true comfort in life and in death, you need to find the way to God.

When reaching God becomes the greatest need in our life, we try to do all kinds of things to find the way. We climb up the ladders of self-improvement that we ourselves have constructed by bringing sacrifices and offering up prayers. When one ladder proves to be too short, we try another one. For when we truly need God, we will do everything possible to find God. It is terrible to be without God and yet to know we cannot live without Him.

The sad part is, however, that the harder we work, the deeper we slide down. The higher we climb, the further we fall back down. The way to God, the way back, becomes more and more impossible. A sinner must learn that he is able to fall but he can never get up. From his side everything is too short. And the holy law of God continues to beat him down. Have you experienced these things also? Hear then from the gospel the words of the blessed Christ when He says, “I am the way.”

When you come to the end of your own way, God’s way begins. It does not ascend from below to above, but it goes in the opposite direction. It is a way that has been provided by God Himself and, therefore, a sinner does not have to do or add anything to it. Christ is the Way.

From The Everlasting Word by Frans Bakker, compiled and translated by Gerald R. Procee. Reformation Heritage Books and Free Reformed Publications, 2007. Used by permission. For further information, click here.