Feet Washing

One of the memories of my childhood is playing outside in the dust, and, after all the playing, none of us children wanted to wash our feet. It felt comfortable to just ignore the whole process and jump into bed. But the truth is, as soon as our feet were in the nice warm water, it felt good and comforting. There was no regret.

In the Jewish culture, feet washing was important. After walking in the dust, a foot wash was very welcome. For visiting guests, it was a welcoming experience and honour to have your feet washed.

Jesus shows His disciples the importance of washing each other’s feet, serving one another and being humble. But another important lesson is learning to permit our feet to be washed.

Peter was protesting about having Jesus wash his feet, but he didn’t realise that this was very important. In fact, Jesus says, “if I don’t wash your feet you have no part in Me”. What does the Lord mean? He’s referring to the cleansing and washing from our sins.

I believe there’s a constant invitation available to us. Jesus wants us to come to Him and have our feet washed in order to purify us, and remove the things that prevent us from drawing near to Him. These things could be anger, unforgiveness, or weaknesses. Or maybe they could be fear, anxiety, sorrow. The invitation to come to Him might be so we can receive the comfort we need from Him.

Every day that we walk in the world we’re collecting stuff. We’re in the world, but not of the world. But, as we come to Him, He want to cleanse us, to free us and to comfort us. In Isaiah 55, there’s a great invitation and call to come to Him. Read it today. It’s your invitation letter.

Wash the dust of daily life off your feet daily. It’s not just once in a lifetime thing. It’s a daily thing, and it’s part of our walk. Our prayers should be, “Lord, search me. If there’s anything unclean in me, cleanse me”. It’s also daily laying those heavy burdens at His feet, and, as Peter said, “not only my feet, but You can wash my whole body too”. And, oh the joy of having no dust on your feet, and knowing the comfort of the Lord!

Prayer: Lord, I pray today that, if there’s anything in me that need washing, You’ll cleanse me, and that You’ll reveal to me of anything I need to repent of, any weight I need to lay at Your feet, and anything I need to surrender to You. Forgive me where I’ve resisted You. I welcome You washing my feet, to help me and heal me. I want to know You more and deeper. In Jesus’ name. Amen.