journey onWord with us

Walk with me through a brief story of our family and see if you can place your circumstances into the story line. It was over fourteen years ago when we dropped our daughter off at college. It was her first extended journey from home, and not something that either of her parents was looking forward too. As we arrived at the college on Friday and started preparing her dorm room, there was an ominous cloud hanging over my wife and me. This was it, and it would never be the same again. Can you relate?  I expected my wife to be weepy … but not me!  By Saturday afternoon, our daughter politely proclaimed that it was time for us to go and we grudgingly drove home teary-eyed, knowing that a new and different season of our lives was upon us.  Separation from those we love is deeply emotional, and I have been trying to wrap my arms around what it must have been like for the disciples when Jesus discussed leaving them.

Think of what it must have been like for the disciples in John 13:33 when Jesus said, “Children, I am with you for only a short time longer.”  He was their mentor, counselor, friend and the only person in their lives that had always given them perfect advice, spot-on wisdom and unfiltered love.  They had never seen Him sin, mislead them, deceive them or selfishly seek His own way — and now He’s leaving! Do you think there could have been some palpable emotion weighing on the men as they contemplated His words?  A new season of life was quickly approaching.

In John 13:34-35, in the midst of this emotionally charged scene, Jesus instructs the disciples with words that were powerful for them and instructive for all true believers today.  It is interesting that John 13 starts with Jesus showing love to the disciples and ends with a command for them to love.  As you read His words of instruction, take a moment to think of the depth of meaning found in them.  “Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.” (MSG)

What kind of love had the Savior loved them with?  And could they possibly love one another in the same way? If so, the results would show that they were His disciples.  Christ used the words new command, but wasn’t “loving others” found elsewhere in Scripture? Without going into too much detail, I believe the new command was tied to the new covenant that Jesus would ratify with His own blood.  These men had seen His love for them (most recently by washing their feet), but they would understand it far more deeply through the Cross. Think about Christ telling His disciples (and ultimately all Christ-followers) to love as He had loved them.

I believe the love Christ wanted modeled was a self-sacrificing, others-focused love for fellow believers.  The result: “This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”  There is definitely a model of love that Christ wanted His followers to live out — and He would never ask for the unattainable!  Sure, no one but the Savior loved perfectly, but all Christ-followers can love in a self-sacrificing, others-focused way.  This kind of love distinguishes who we are.

It would be easy to discuss the failure of love within churches and communities of faith. But let me be personal with you for a moment.  If you are in Christ, you can love others with the kind of love mentioned above.  Will you simply give your life to His kind of love today?

What a rough day. No matter which way I turned, nothing seemed to go right. I could have played Alexander in the new version of the movie, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day. But yesterday is over and my pouting needs to end. There are probably days that you also felt like you were auditioning for the role of Alexander. Days that are filled with issues out of our control (and we all like to be in control), remind us of our weaknesses and create a sense of humility (after we adjust our prideful attitudes).  My attitude seemed to turn on a 5-hour car earlier this week. A friend played a song for me that spoke of a pretty rough day in the life of Christ.

My reading the very next morning fell in line with that rough day in the life of Jesus. Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, “Father, save me from this hour”? But this is the very reason I came! Those are Jesus’ words from John 12:27 and it just happens to be the verse I used in the first Sunday school lesson I ever taught. The verse still rings with a clarion call in my mind every time I read it. Christ came for a reason. Nothing would deter His purpose and the sins of mankind weighed in the balance. But He was troubled! And although we could never know the depth of His struggle, I believe the anticipation of separation from the Father and bearing God’s wrath for the sins of mankind caused Him to be deeply troubled.

This song I keep referring to was a song that I had never heard before, from a group I knew very little about (Karen Peck and New River). Picture your rough day and then visualize His rough day … for you and me. Just a couple of stanzas of You Did it Anyway will remind you and I about what that rough day was like.

You prayed to pass the cup
As the angels watched you kneel
You already knew just how the cross would feel
How deep the spear would go
How sharp the thorns would be
And that your father
Would forsake you in your agony

You did it anyway
You walked on up that hill
And the sounds of sacrifice are ringing still
You knew the magnitude
Of the price you’d have to pay
But for me, you did it anyway

Because He did it anyway, all who have a relationship with Christ in salvation can live in peace, even on the roughest of days. He knew what my Alexander day would be like. He cared, and I could have reflected more on His grace, peace and counsel during that earthly, horrible, rotten, no good very bad day. Mike (Alexander) felt the need to control what he couldn’t control, but at the reminder of what my Savior did for me (and you), my perspective began to change. My bad day could never compare … but He did it anyway!

I will have bad days again, and so will you. I hope the words of this song will ring loudly when I start to pout. He hung on the cross, died for our sins, and rose again to give us eternal life and peace on the journey….even on the “Alexander” days!

The words below were written just a week after losing the dear friend I mentioned in our last post.  I have sat with these words for several weeks.  I have poured and prayed over them.  I have sought wisdom and counsel in sharing them.  Through it all, I have been gifted a peace that does not source from my understanding, and release them now with the solemn prayer that He will use them.

How does one measure the weight of a heart?  An odd question, no doubt, but one that entered my mind as I considered my right now and how it compares to the vast expanse of my yesterdays.  If there was, in fact, some way to calculate it, I expect the resulting answer would show my heart is as heavy as it’s ever been.  A week ago, I had to communicate a message to the person I love most in this world.  This message buckled my own knees in receiving it, and I was certain it would do far worse to my wife.  How do you tell the woman you love most that her best friend in the world (apart from you) is gone?

My dear friend Lisa was a warrior princess.  She would be the first to admit that she was not perfect, but she was the perfect friend to my wife, Kristyn.  She was a woman of God who started each and every day with some combination of a Bible, a devotional, a journal and a cup of coffee.  Lisa was a devoted and faithful wife, a brilliant mother, a treasured daughter, a beloved aunt, a true friend and a bright light to anyone God delivered into and through her life.  God had numbered her days, and they were far too few for all those who loved her.  God is good.  We are holding onto that truth as tightly as we can in navigating the beautiful memories of our shared past and painful reality of our right now.  We do not mourn as those who have no hope.  We claim and lean on that hope, as we do the Author and Giver of it.  God is good … all the time.  All the time … God is good.

I found myself alone in the drive-thru at McDonald’s the day my boys and I were set to travel and join my wife and Lisa’s beautiful family for her viewing and funeral.  I wasn’t starving but needed something and decided on a menu choice that triggered a spontaneous, sad chuckle.  I was anything but, when I asked the polite drive-thru clerk for a “happy meal.”  As she confirmed my hamburger with no onions and apple slices, she asked me a question that quite unexpectedly buckled my knees again.  It was all I could do to answer, “for a boy, please.”  I’m not completely certain why things hit me like they do, but her question hit me square.  “Is this for a boy, or a girl?” she innocently asked.  It was as if the very words of the Spirit that lives inside me were asking the same question of my suffering.

I have an earthly father and mother whom I love deeply.  There was a time in my life when I was completely dependent on them.  As I began to grow, my parents lovingly and intentionally taught and guided me.  They did so with the knowledge that it was best for me to leave them one day, and they equipped me for that day as well as any parent could.  I was given freedoms and responsibilities which ultimately prepared me to establish a life for myself and to love, care, and provide for the wife and two boys that God had specifically chosen for me.  This, for me, was the natural progression of growing up as a man — to feel responsible and be responsible.  And this was what I was desperately trying to feel and be for every person whom I loved who was hurting in the hours and days after Lisa’s death.  My motives were pure, my intentions were good, but I was acting as if my strength was what was required of me.

In what seemed like an instant, the completely unrelated, yet essential question from the drive-thru clerk penetrated the tough outer layer that had already begun to form around my heart and mind.  The kind of layer we tend to believe is necessary to stand firm against an attack of this magnitude and be a shield and support for those we love.  In what seemed like an instant, the Spirit of God whispered words of comfort and permission; permission to admit, “I am just a boy.”

I’d like to believe I’m a maturing boy, but I am a boy, nonetheless.  My heavenly Father is lovingly and intentionally teaching and guiding me, but it is not for the same purpose as my earthly parents.  To meet this moment of suffering as a “grown man” and to be worthy as a husband, father, brother, uncle and friend are not what God expects of me.  I am just a boy.  I am a boy in a world that was not created to experience loss and pain.  I am a boy whose heart can only be hardened by it, if I try to experience and conquer it on my own.  I am a boy who is made strong only in as much as I choose my own weakness and my Father’s strength.  I am a boy who needs the refuge of my Father’s arms and the comfort of Abba’s lap.

In the grief-filled moments that followed my drive-thru exchange, a beautiful peace poured over me.  For all the responsibility I felt since receiving the news, I had been invited into the only thing that God expects of me; to answer my suffering with the response, “for a boy, please.”  In the midst of the “hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” a voice comes over the drive-thru speaker and speaks directly into my suffering.  I wonder if you need to hear that too in the midst of your right now.

If so, join me … say the words.

“For a boy, please.”

“For a girl, please.”

I closed my eyes, smiled wryly and let out a deep sigh when I looked ahead in the schedule to confirm the daily reading for today (John 11:28-37).  It was early in the week, and I had been given the opportunity to write today’s post.  I wanted to begin digesting the passage and see if there was any initial bit of resonance that I could begin to explore.  I have become so mindful of God’s presence in the details of my life.  Sometimes I chuckle or blurt out a full belly laugh when I’m standing and waiting or casually walking along and the Spirit goes on ahead of me and throws open the door to what God has for me next.  Have you experienced God’s “sense of humor” or deep intentionality before?  Maybe you’d nod in agreement with the reaction I described above.

So, here’s the source of that reaction … I am grieving the loss of a dear and treasured friend a month to the date last Sunday, and wouldn’t you know that my first opportunity to write since her passing is the story of the death of Jesus’ dear friend Lazarus.  I guess the Spirit just walked a few steps ahead of me and threw open another door.  And now I will step through it in His power.  God is so good.

There are a couple of events within the larger narrative of Jesus’ life which have had repeated and lasting impact on my life.  Within those events there are two specific intimate moments and “mysteries” which have long fascinated me.  Our reading today possesses one of those mysteries.  Another happened a couple of chapters back in the book of John during a monumental moment of confrontation in the story of an adulterous woman who was about to be stoned.

A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”  They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger.
John 8:2-6 (NLT)

What did He write?!  What was the word(s)?!  Oh, to have been there to experience that moment of unadulterated and saturating forgiveness.  That story is one of my favorites, and I would so love to know what Jesus wrote in the dust.

I have a similar longing with one of the details of today’s story.  Namely, to know the true source of Jesus’ “deep anger” with the mourners gathered near the tomb of Lazarus.  As the story goes, Mary runs to, and reaches Jesus.  She falls at His feet and unknowingly repeats the words her sister spoke just a short time before.  “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:32b)  I think we can all hear our own thoughts and words in the one’s Martha and Mary cried out to Jesus.  Then John continues in verse 33…

When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. (NLT)

A deep anger wells up within Jesus as He surveys the scene.  In researching, I found moving imagery in this phrase that the NIV translates as “deeply moved in spirit and troubled.” The Greek word translated in the NIV as “deeply moved” is “embrimasthai.” It is apparently used in Classical Greek for a horse snorting.  Those of you who know horses or have been around a highly agitated one, will have a clear understanding and vivid picture of the emotion which welled up inside of Jesus in that moment.

There are several suggestions given by scholars as to the source of Jesus’ anger.  I tend to lean in one particular direction, having given the question some thought before seeking out those scholars.  I think I’ll leave my own thoughts unspoken, however, in the spirit of John not speaking to it himself.  Perhaps certain words written in dust and emotions welled up within the heart of the Savior have been left for us to consider more deeply in our personal conversations and daily walk with God.

One meaningful thought I will choose to share, which has been a great encouragement to me and which I pray will also be of encouragement to you, is Jesus’ choice to stop and grieve the very real separation from His dear friend.  I believe this choice is also echoed much later in the garden as Jesus sweats blood while crying out to his Father, “if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me.” (Luke 22:42 NLT)  I have come to believe “this cup” is the separation He knows He must endure as the final price of His redeeming work – a very real separation from the Father in His last three hours on the cross.  In these moments of deep grief, Jesus mourns separation.  I am experiencing this right now in the loss of my dear friend.

In two powerfully intimate moments, Jesus stops and grieves loss.  In doing so, He enters the very personal space of my own grief and says, “I know.”  That knowing far surpasses an intellectual association with my season of grief.  Jesus doesn’t just “get” what I am going through, He joins me in it.  He knows my specific suffering.  He looks at me when I say “but Jesus, Lisa” and says, “Mark … Lazarus.”

My dear friends, don’t miss this monumental moment as you check off the task of your daily reading today.  I know the temptations or fatigue that can surface in a discipline of reading daily, but please don’t miss this today.  The very voice of the One who spoke creation into being, speaks the words “I know” into my heart today … into your heart today.  If you are suffering or grieving, Scripture (and even the rocks) cry out that Jesus is truly “a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief!” (Isaiah 53:3)

He knows.

He cares.

He joins you today.

a short note before going …  I hope you will consider reaching out to us if there is some portion of suffering that we can join you in today.  We cannot be all that Jesus can, but we can certainly lift you up to Him and join you in a space where you might be convinced no one else stands with you.  We will.  And in doing so, we pray that it shouts to you that “He does!”

It was in the Fall of 2009 that a dear friend and work colleague learned that he had a devastating form of cancer. There were many highs and lows in his battle before he entered eternity in May of 2010. How could Jim be the one that got sick? He was the one that seemed to always watch his diet and continually maintain his health. At age fifty-nine, he was beginning what looked to be a great retirement. Of all people, Jim!  As I was thinking about this article, my mind also wandered back to another friend that I haven’t seen in over 28 years. He had MS, and lived with a smile and focus that always intrigued me. I will never forget the time he told me that he looked at his disease as a “ministry of suffering.” His life and words still challenge me.  There is so much about sickness that I don’t understand, and it is easy to question the “whys” of disease and suffering.

It seems we are always trying to figure out the “whys” of suffering and disease, even though we know the futility of our searching. We may even begin thinking, as the disciples did in John 9, was the suffering because of sin? This was the question the disciples asked Jesus about the man born blind from birth. Their question could so easily be asked of the suffering that is happening in our own lives and those of the ones we love, today.

I would guess the answer Jesus gave surprised and confounded the disciples.  Note their question and Jesus’ response.

“Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”  “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him”.
John 9:2-3 (NLT)

Look at Charles Swindoll’s words about chapter John nine. His insight is helpful. “The disciples’ question reflected a common understanding of sin in first-century Judaism, one that is sadly common today as well. The disciples saw the man’s affliction as the just penalty of someone’s sin, either his own or that of his parents. It’s human nature to find someone to blame…As the story unfolds, we learn that their ‘chance meeting had been scheduled since the beginning of time, and the man’s ‘meaningless’ affliction had been given divine purpose from the foundation of creation”.

We all understand that all suffering and affliction are the result of our fall in Adam. Without his disobedience, there would be no sin or death. But to peg specific issues to sin is really beyond our scope. Only God understands the depth and purpose of suffering, and He can certainly turn afflictions in to trophies of His grace. Although not easy, we are all best served to relinquish the desire to know “why” some die young and babies are born with handicaps, while others live long lives into the hand of God. We should also refuse to play God, by determining that someone’s sin caused their pain.  God knows the “whys,” and we can trust His sovereignty.

I am conscious that I have never dealt with pain like many reading this article; so I would like to close with quotes from a trophy of God’s grace, Joni Eareckson Tada. Her story of deep pain and a ministry of suffering has touched millions. Let her quotes speak to the desire we have to understand, and sometimes even chastise the pain of others.

“Suffering provides the gym equipment on which my faith can be exercised.”
Suffering: Making Sense of Suffering

“He has chosen not to heal me, but to hold me. The more intense the pain, the closer His embrace.”
A Place of Healing: Wrestling with the Mysteries of Suffering, Pain, and God’s Sovereignty

“Contentment … has an internal quietness of heart that gladly submits to God in all circumstances.”
When God Weeps: Why Our Sufferings Matter to the Almighty

 “Whys” may overwhelm us, but it is trust that settles us!

Last week was one of those weeks.  Everything hit at once.  Everything had a deadline.  Every day was full and every evening was spoken for.   Have you heard the metaphor of the hamster on the spinning wheel?  Well, I was living it last week.  On the assumption that you sometimes get caught in one of those weeks, I thought this story would give you cause for reflection.

In the book, The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning, there is a humorous, yet thought-provoking story about the monk who was chased by a tiger.

The monk raced to the edge of a cliff, glanced back, and saw the growling tiger about to spring. The monk spotted a rope dangling over the edge of the cliff. He grabbed it and began shimmying down the side of the cliff out of the clutches of the tiger. Whew! Narrow escape. The monk then looked down and saw a quarry of jagged rocks five hundred feet below. He looked up and saw the tiger poised atop the cliff with bared claws. Just then, two mice began to nibble at the rope. What to do?

The monk saw a strawberry within arm’s reach, growing out of the face of the cliff. He plucked it, ate it, and exclaimed, “Yum! That’s the best strawberry I’ve ever tasted in my entire life.” If he had been preoccupied with the rock below (the future) or the tiger above (the past), he would have missed the strawberry God was giving him in the present moment.

In this very moment, you may have regrets or fears from the past week, and anxiety about the future.  I wonder if it all feels like a spirited run on the hamster wheel. After reflecting on the tiger and the monk, I am reminded that we only are guaranteed this moment and to give it away is foolish. Stop with me in this very moment and consider a verse in the book of Psalms which has been especially meaningful to me personally, and speaks directly into this very real battle:

Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.
Psalm 90:12 (NLT)

What you and I miss in our preoccupation with yesterday and tomorrow can never be retrieved. Wisdom available from God can help us live in the moment, and realize how brief our lives really are.

Those who get lost in one of those weeks need to look away from their tiger and jagged rocks. I am sure you can relate. Moments matter! The end of my week brought great blessings through some unexpected people and events – in abundance beyond any expectation I harbored … my strawberries!   Strawberries may not be in season for you and me right now, but what is stopping us from having some strawberry moments? I have no idea what you are facing, but I’m sure if you slow down and start looking for God’s strawberries, you can begin to enjoy each moment. You can’t re-live yesterday or control tomorrow, but finding the strawberry in this moment can turn one of those weeks into a reason to smile.

My experience in public speaking has taught me that you have to be careful with words. Inevitably, words that are reckless, ill-timed or simply misstatements can over-shadow all the well thought out appropriate statements we make. I once used a word in a humorous illustration that took on a life of its own. To this day, I cringe at the very thought of it, but there was no retracting it.  Our words have meaning to those who hear them, whether reckless or full of wisdom. Thankfully, we have a source of words that is always right and full of wisdom.

Words from the lips of Christ never came without meaning. As I am traveling through the Gospel of John, I am reminded of His life-changing words that present salvation, abundant life, resurrection power and confidence in prayer. You may have read and re-read these statements over the years. In them we find hope for eternity and joy for living. Take note of these words of Jesus, and think on their meaning.

To the woman caught in adultery, He said, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

His purpose for Christ-followers is seen in the words, “I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.”

When He came to the tomb of Lazarus, Christ cried out, “Lazarus, come forth!”

He left no doubt about the only way of eternal life with His words, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Christ gave us confidence to pray with these words, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”

These scenes from the life of Christ give us clarity on the heart of our Savior; His incredible wisdom and unparalleled compassion in forgiving the woman caught in adultery and His desire for His followers to have abundant life.  They clearly demonstrate His power as He speaks and His dear friend Lazarus is raised from the dead.  They proclaim the absolute truth that there is only one way … through Him. And they offer a promise and gift absolute confidence if we simply abide in Him and His words abide in us.

These words of Jesus and every other one He spoke in Scripture can be trusted. Too often, we read the marvelous counsel He gives us and then refrain from applying it. To know the forgiving Savior, who is the only way to heaven, and who promises abundant life to His followers and who tells us He will answer prayer is, to say the least, life-changing. And to top it off, He has the power to resurrect, and did so Himself. Forgive us God when we are not careful and your Son’s life changing words become too ordinary and lose their emphasis.

In making my point on the day of my ill-timed illustration, I wonder what most people remembered. Was it the presentation of biblical truths relevant to their lives, or my faux pas? What we all need to seek and remember (from the words of Jesus) is the life-changing power of God available to us in salvation. His words tell the story of forgiveness, hope, and abundant life, and they are right at our finger tips in the pages of His Word. We must all look inward and evaluate if His life-changing words are fresh and vibrant, or have they become too ordinary.

How will you answer? What should you do?

If I was completely honest, I would have to admit that I avoid mirrors.  In a department store, I’ll rush past one, being careful to lock my gaze in the opposite direction (how dumb does that sound?!).  It seems like an odd thing to share with “the world,” but it’s absolutely true.  I’ll never argue the truth that God doesn’t make mistakes, but in so many ways I grade myself harshly in what I’ve done with the body and spirit that He gifted me.

That critical nature was tweaked a bit recently as I listened to a song from an artist I love.  The song is, “I Am New” by Jason Gray and it speaks of being made new in Christ.  “I am not who I was, I’m being remade, I am new,” the chorus begins.  Just before that chorus kicks in, at the very end of the third verse, you’ll find the following words…

But the One who is making everything new,
doesn’t see me the way that I do.
He doesn’t see me the way that I do.

Those words nestled themselves deep in my soul and tweaked the critical nature I just confessed.  Oh the immeasurable gift it would be to see with His eyes … even one time and just for a few seconds.  To see myself, not as the physical or spiritual reflection in my earthly mirror, but as He sees me!

So much of my life is lived in the powerful shadow of my guilt and shame.  So many times I stop short of doing something for Him because I convince myself that I’m not worthy or I’ve failed Him far too many times to be of any use.  How stuck I can get in the mire of my past.

As I continued in thought, I was reminded of some life-breathing words from a favorite daily devotional (Reflections for Ragamuffins by Brennan Manning).  The specific entry is titled, “Responses to Jesus,” and offered a beautiful reminder of the lineage we have in this life of faith.

These biblical characters, however clean or tawdry their personal histories may have been, were not paralyzed by the past in their present response to Jesus.  Tossing aside self-consciousness, they ran, clung, jumped and raced to him.  Peter denied him and deserted him, but he was not afraid of him.

In reading the full entry, I was reminded once again of the thread of imperfection that runs through the body of Christ.  The biblical characters who Brennan was referring to were Mary (sister of Martha), Mary Magdalene and Peter.  They are central characters in God’s love story, and yet they are fully flawed human beings.  The thread of imperfection runs through them all and extends to you and me.  Yet at the same time, they (and we) are perfect examples of the power that exists in the name and redeeming blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

They “were not paralyzed by the past in their present response to Jesus.”  Yes Jesus, I want that to be said of me.

How are you with mirrors?  And what about your past?  If everything I’ve confessed resonates with you, join me.  If even the smallest part of something I’ve confessed resonates with you, join me. If you see my confessions in the rear view mirror of your own journey, we’ll join you.  Let’s all run, cling, jump and race to Him together!

Everywhere I turn, I see trials.  It would be a significant list if I just recited the various trials that friends of mine have encountered in the last seven days. I would guess you could create the same kind of list. We all wish for a day, a week, or a month where life was smooth sailing, but life is not like that, and I don’t think it ever will be.  My thoughts for this challenge started with a devotional article that focused on trials. I was furthered challenged in my thinking after reading a very familiar passage of Scripture this past Saturday.

You are no doubt familiar with the story of the feeding of the five thousand from John chapter six. It’s the only miracle of Jesus recorded in all four gospels. What a fascinating scene!  Scores of messages have been taught on its significance. However, the events before and after the miraculous feeding are what caused me to reflect a bit deeper on trials. To be perfectly clear, many of the trials we face are from our own making; these kinds are not the purpose of this article.  For all Christ-followers, I would invite you to think for a few moments on the trials that you encounter, but do not create.  I believe they can be looked at as faith-stretchers from the Lord. I submit to you that they probably come regularly, and have a divine purpose. If only we looked at them that way!

Jesus and His disciples were being followed. They crossed the sea and climbed a mountain, yet people pursued them.  When the day was late and Jesus felt the crowd needed feeding, He engaged Philip.

Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do. Philip replied, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!”
John 6:5b-7

My response to this test would have been very similar. Jesus was testing Philip for a reason, and although it may have been uncomfortable, Philip needed the test. Just like you and I need faith-stretchers today.

Immediately after the miraculous meal, Jesus insisted that the disciples get in a boat and head to the other side of the lake. There is too much in the scene to write about now, but Christ sent the disciples into a storm.

Soon a gale swept down upon them, and the sea grew very rough. They had rowed three or four miles when suddenly they saw Jesus walking on the water toward the boat. They were terrified, but he called out to them, “Don’t be afraid. I am here!” Then they were eager to let him in the boat, and immediately they arrived at their destination!
John 6:18-21

Jesus was right there to meet their needs, as He is for us. Our storms may be different from those the disciples faced, but we are often confronted with troubled waters through no fault of our own.  Can you and I accept that our Sovereign God knows what He is doing in our lives?

I have a very sensitive heart for readers that are facing trials they didn’t create.  God, however, in His sovereignty, has allowed you to live with these troubled waters. It seems to me that God chooses for His children to have regular faith-stretchers … we call them trials. My reading caused me to think about His tests for us and how quickly we can be in a storm.  Rather than give you an answer to trials, I’ll leave you with the words from Laura Story’s great song, Blessings, and pray it offers perspective and comfort.

chorus…

Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?
What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?

 the song’s ending…

And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise?

The words which follow come from one of our Journey onWord readers who has chosen to read the words of Jesus with us this year. He is a trained Bible teacher, and draws from his personal study an insightful picture of Luke 22:45.

Have you ever read a passage in the Bible over and over for years and all of a sudden a phrase jumps out at you that you never really noticed before? This happened to me a couple of weeks ago as I read the final verse (Luke 22:45) in the story of Jesus praying in the garden of Gethsemane.  It’s the verse where Jesus returns from His time of solitary and earnest prayer and finds his disciples sleeping. I have read that verse many times over the years. I have taught that verse. I have heard a host of sermons preached on that verse. But that particular morning, I read the verse as with new eyes and have a new appreciation for what it really says.

You can read the account of Jesus going to the Garden following the Last Supper in the Upper Room in the other gospels, but Luke’s is the only one that uses the phrase, “… He found them sleeping from sorrow” (NKJV). In the NIV it says, “… He found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow.”

The typical interpretation of this verse is the disciples weren’t aware of what Jesus was going through at the time and therefore did not have a concern, so they fell asleep as they waited. Most sermons then focus attention on Peter, who had just committed to Jesus that he was willing to go to prison or even death with Jesus and yet he couldn’t stay awake when Jesus needed him. The act of sleeping shows the disciples indifference to Jesus’ sufferings and the application is then made that we need to stay awake and accomplish what Jesus wants us to accomplish in our lives.

My new understanding of this verse broadens the picture I have of the disciples. Remember that Luke is a doctor, so he has a better understanding of the human body than the other writers. He says the disciples fell asleep because of their sorrow, or their deep sympathy in His sorrows. Their grief was so great over what Jesus was experiencing, they naturally fell asleep. Doctor’s would verify one of the symptoms of grief is profound sleep.

I have seen with new eyes and learned a new lesson – the disciples weren’t oblivious to Jesus’ suffering and agony, they were actually grieving with Him over it. We know the disciples didn’t understand everything that was going on, but Luke teaches us that what they did understand caused them to sorrow. I believe they just didn’t know how to express it and sleep overtook them.

May we always be open and alert when reading Scripture, not reading as if we already know what it says. We need to read carefully and purposefully in anticipation of what God has to teach us at that particular time.