It had been a terrible day. Filled with stress and bad news. Things seemed to be going badly for
Jesus. People had expected Him to start
to overthrow the established governments and announce Himself as a new king,
maybe even the Messiah. John the Baptist
had been thrown into jail by Herod and it was expected that Jesus would deliver
him and turn the tables on that wicked ruler.
Instead, they got word that day that John had been beheaded by Herod in
one of his drunken orgies. Jesus didn't
seem to be doing anything to push forward their agenda.
Jesus knew the frustration and anger that was
brewing against Him by the authorities and His erstwhile followers. The disciples had all been so busy on their
preaching tours they hadn't taken a break for a long time, and now as they
returned they hadn't even had time to eat.
Wanting to get Himself and His followers away from the crowds for a
break to rest and regroup, Mark picks up the story: "Then He said to them, "Come away, all of you, to a quiet place,
and rest awhile. There were many coming
and going so that they did not even have time for meals."
(6:31)
They got into a
little boat and went across the lake to a deserted area. How they all must have looked forward to this
opportunity for much needed rest. But it was not to be. We pick up the story: "They went away in a boat to
a deserted place, by themselves. The
multitudes saw them going away, and knew them, and went by foot on land out of
all the cities, and got to the place where they were going before them."
How would you react
to this interruption of your much needed rest?
Frustration? Anger? Yell at the people to "leave me alone
for a little while at least"?
Whisper under your breath how you really felt while smiling on the
outside? Jesus had none of these
reactions. His reaction was so different
from our "normal" reaction. We
read: "When He saw the people He was moved with compassion for
them..." While this is the
way I pray to be when faced with an unexpected situation, it is usually after I
have reacted in one of the other ways listed above.
"But of course
Jesus was perfect, He was divine after all". Is that how we see it? Do we just go on with the idea we are not
expected to be like Jesus and so don't worry about it? But Jesus did not react in love because He
was the Son of God. He lived as He did
because He was living out Righteousness by Faith. Jesus gave Himself completely into the hands
of His Father. He made no plans for Himself, but committed Himself completely
to our Heavenly Father. He said so on a
number of occasions. "I
do not seek My own will, but the will of the Father Who sent me." (John 5:30)
This was His constant guiding principle.
In the book Ministry
of Healing pg.479 we are told: "Christ in His life on earth made no
plans for Himself. He accepted God's plans for Him, and day by day the Father
unfolded His plans." Here is
the secret for peace. This is the key for being at peace no matter what is
happening around us. Commit yourself to
God first thing in the morning. As you
go about your daily duties keep your thoughts focused on God. Then whatever
happens you can know that it is God's plan for you, so just rest in His
care. The quotation from MH
continues: "So should we depend upon
God, that our lives may be the simple outworking of His will. As we commit our
ways to Him, He will direct our steps."
Sound familiar? We read: "Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust
also in him...." (Psalm
37:5) Commit, then trust. We are so filled with self that we say
we commit, but then don't trust God, but rather trust ourselves to know
best. We get angry because WE are
thwarted. Frustrated because WE are
hindered. The scriptures say the
just shall live by faith. But we
instead "live by my plan". We
talk about Righteousness by Faith as a theory, but we do not know what it means
as a practical way of life. Jesus was
the Word, the living out of the word that had been written. So God wants us to live "by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God".
This is how we can
possess peace in a practical, everyday life.
But this is a topic that requires more space, so it will be
continued....
No comments:
Post a Comment