One night at a mission in Africa, the pastor overheard one of the native people praying. The prayer was simple but strange. The person prayed, “Lord Jesus, you are the needle. Make me the cotton. Amen.” The missionary asked the man what he meant by his prayer. The man explained that he had visited the mission school that day and watched the women sewing. He noticed that the thread always followed the needle. In the same way, he wanted to follow Jesus wherever he led.
“‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said” (Mark 1:17). At first, that sounds daunting! It’s not always popular to show we are followers of Jesus. People may disagree with us, hate us, take advantage of us, or worse! How will we get the courage to follow Jesus? Realize who Jesus is. He is the Almighty God who can do anything. He does not need anyone. He does not need to do anything. And yet, what did he choose to do? He chose to love you. He chose to come to this earth to live the perfect life you couldn’t live. He chose to give his life on a cross for you. He chose to forgive you and lead you out of hell to heaven. He is the one who says to you, “Follow me.”
Our response? We will follow as directly and dependently as the thread follows the needle.
Lord Jesus, make me the cotton today! Amen.
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About the Author
Pastor Dave Scharf
Dave Scharf grew up in West Allis, Wisconsin, and served as pastor in Greenville, Wisconsin, from 2005 to 2016. He is currently a professor of theology at Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota, where he lives with his wife, Beth, and their six children.