As Christians, and members of the larger Church, we have been metaphorically prepared to become the bride of Christ. We have fallen into an agape love with the Son of God. However, our betrothal is a long one, and much can happen as we wait for our wedding day; especially if we don’t guard our faith carefully. Paul uses this analogy when speaking to the Corinthians, and it would be wise for us to heed his words today.
We are not going to escape suffering in this world. As we go through life we will face sickness, death, all forms of persecution, and various trials by the bushel full, one thing is certain however, and this is that our God has promised we will not face any of this alone, because He is with us. In this place we will weep, cry out in pain, and mourn, but in every valley the Lord will be with us to comfort us. Now we are meant to both laugh and cry, to be young and old, and to walk from day to night, and back, but one day, when we reach our final destination, all of this will be behind us; our small joys will become eternal, and all of our tears will be dried forever.
We pray for something and then wait, but do we do what we have been told while we are waiting? Sometimes the answer to our prayer doesn’t come to us, but requires us to go to it. Much can be lost when we don’t listen for God’s voice in our prayer closets, and then obey Him. We behave as if we are frozen in place, and wait there for an answer before taking another step, when in fact if we are to be healed, or receive the provision we need, then we must begin a spiritual journey, by going the way the Lord has directed us to go.
We decide to read the book of Psalms, but are we so anxious to complete it in the time we have allotted that we read right past the opening two verses without pausing to drill into all they contain? Modern education is partially at fault for this by assigning students more work and reading than they can actually absorb. So we learn to scan, or speed read. As we blast through each night’s assignment we only pause when something catches our attention. Is it any wonder that we read scripture in much the same way? However, the Bible isn’t just a story, a text book, or a simple rhyming poem, it is the voice of God, and requires our full attention, and dedication, if we are to absorb it.
When we say that we have been renewed in Christ, and speak of having put off our old selves have we really done this, or just stored that self away where it can’t be readily seen, but remains available to us? Does our old self embarrass us when we allow it to come out of hiding, but even so, we still find something about that life which tempts us, or thrills us? In keeping who we once were, who are we lying to most; God, Jesus, our fellow believers, or to ourselves?
We Christians are not immune to the trouble that is in the world, and we experience the hatred of men, just as Jesus did. Jesus told us this would happen, and that not only would we be hated, but killed as well. Yet our hope remains in the Lord, and although we are perplexed by His allowing suffering to continue in our lives, we do praise Him in its midst, and see the good lessons that come from each one. David understood that earthly trouble would come, and he asked the Lord the same question that many of us continue to ask Him today… “Why do you stand far away?”
As we serve the Lord we occasionally need to take a moment to be still, and collect our thoughts. We need to withdraw to a quiet place and wait patiently for Him to refresh us. From the silence of a mountain cave, we need to listen for our Father to speak. Sometimes we walk away to this place, but more often than not He drives us into the quiet of evening like a shepherd moving reluctant sheep to a safe pasture for the night… this is where the shepherd sings, talks, and plays His lyre for his flock. This is where God speaks quietly to us.
We read scripture which speaks of giving our lives to Jesus, and as Christian’s we thrill at the prospect, we count this thought as pure joy, and our doing so as the greatest accomplishment in life, but to the unbeliever this sounds a lot like imprisonment, bondage, and pure torture. However, forfeiting one’s life for another isn’t giving away our most precious possession, no, it is actually acquiring it because it isn’t sacrifice, but an act of love.
Mourning - at some point in our lives, sadness and sorrow visit us all, but we find it to be like a winter field that is burnt off; from its ashes our capacity to praise God springs up anew, and in the spring we bear a bountiful crop. Like pruning increases the yield of a vine, and fertilizer nourishes the soil, so does our pain and suffering enrich the yield of our souls. In season our gladness returns, and we sing again, for although every man is meant once to die, in Christ he rises again, and our joy returns with eternal vigor.
When we carry the gospel to those around us do they see us as imposters? Do they recognize us as legitimate men and women of God, or just charlatans who want to take advantage of them? Even foreign dignitaries carry papers with them that bear the seal of the government they represent to prove their authenticity, so what identifies us as true emissaries of Christ? Surprisingly, we don’t need a letter with its wax seal, because we ourselves are the proof, and the letter. Jesus has written the evidence of our legitimacy on our hearts, and we bear His watermark; engrained within us by our baptism. We are walking, and talking, letters from Christ Jesus.
Born in a stable, wrapped in swaddling cloth, and then laid in a manger. How unlikely was it that this child would be a King, and conquer sin and death in the world? What makes His victory especially sweet? It isn’t that He won because that is true of every victory. What makes this victory triumphant, exceptionally joyous, and timeless, is that Jesus, the victor, was incredibly unlikely, and the chance of His victory seemed impossible by any measure. Yet despite all appearances He snatched victory from what seemed to be the jaws of certain defeat. This humble man, who rode astride a donkey’s colt, proved to be God incarnate, and He is more than our savior, He transforms us.
Do we serve a living God, and do we believe that Jesus sits at His side today, making concession for us there? Do we think the Bible is truth, or simply a collection of historic facts and stories that happened long ago? Do we believe that miracles happened then, but not now, or that prayer was answered in the time of the early church but not in this age? Sometimes I hear people, who claim to be believers, talking like the God of Abraham, and His Son Jesus are not truly alive, and are at best asleep, or have left us alone. Well, if they are not alive, and if they are not with us now as scripture says, then walk away, because there is no truth in this Book.
We hunger and thirst the most when we are starving and parched. The Lord knows our hearts and can see the coming droughts and famines, but those of the spirit are without a doubt the hardest to bear. We can recover from worldly starvation and thirst with the help of men, but only God can feed our souls, and give us living water when our spirits have wandered into a desert that is void of His Word. Have we strayed from our faith, and do we find ourselves running to and fro seeking God, but unable to find Him?
So often we seek God in the midst of whatever tempest that we find ourselves in, and then wonder why we can’t hear him. Do we each have a quiet place and time where we can have a conversation with Him? Jesus slipped away from the crowd, went off into the night, or, as He prepared for His time of passion, He went to the quiet of the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. This isn’t because God’s voice is weak, it is because we are distracted by all the turmoil that surrounds us. When we are in a crowd of shouting people, or in the midst of a raging storm, isn’t it difficult to hear even when someone yells our name out loud? Well… it is like this when we pray, or read scripture, too.
There are always those who will strike out at us, or seek to undermine us in some way, but our God stands with us, confusing them in their efforts, and ultimately revealing to them the shame in what they do. Whether their actions are driven by jealousy, a desire for power, or some other form of sinful temptation, there will be those who will look down upon us, and speak ill of our righteousness. Likewise there will always be those who will ridicule the Lord God whom we serve. Out of frustration in their lives comes evil, and their shame will find them in it. So we pray for God’s help as we bear our pain, and we pray for the souls of those, our enemies, who persecute us, and bear such terrible shame.