08/30/2022
We go about our daily lives, and they are full of trials and tribulations. We look out at the world and think that if we could somehow separate ourselves from it we would grow stronger in our faith, when in fact the opposite is true; we grow stronger in the midst of our trials, and see the face of Jesus most clearly from the summit of our suffering. We see the foul deeds of the world clearest in the darkest and deepest parts of the world, because it is here that God’s light shines brightest to illuminate them, and His salvation reaches out the furthest to redeem us from them.
“Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; they saw the deeds of the Lord, his wondrous works in the deep.”
Psalm 107:23-24 ESV
God has placed us in the world, and surrounded us with its fallen nature, but He also shows us His glory here. It is in the face of this hopelessness that He works His greatest miracles, and His saving grace is most evident… here in this place where hope is nearly lost He excels. Jesus didn’t come to avoid the world’s sin but to take it on Himself, and by His blood, He has cleansed us of it. When we are clothed in the darkest of our sins we are stripped bare, and dressed in the white robes of Christ’s salvation, and receive our Father’s forgiveness.
“I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.”
John 17:14-15 ESV
When we travel the earth we see amazing things. In awe we see God’s creation, but we also see what man has constructed for the Lord, and we see not only the evidence of his faith, but sometimes the proof of his desperation as they seek to know Him. Altars were constructed to thank God, but while some were built to thank Him, and worship Him, others were built by men as they wept, and called out to Him… seeking desperately to find Him, and His son Jesus the Christ.
“Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”
Romans 5:2-6 ESV
So it is no mistake that we are left here in this world, and asked to go out into the world, armed with God’s Word and the gospel of Jesus. We are meant to travel the earth giving hope to the lost and to suffer as Jesus did. We see into the darkest places, and reach down into the deepest chasms to extract the lost and dying. Jesus Himself asked that we be left here, but although we might suffer as we do God’s will, our faith will be increased, and we will be protected from evil as Jesus asked our Father to do. Are we ready to face the world today? Are we prepared to shine our light into the darkness, and to lift the fallen from the depths of their sin?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for leaving us in the world as your Son Jesus asked you to do. Thank you Father for protecting us from evil as we go about doing your will, and bringing the lost souls into the light of salvation, and lifting them to righteousness as we lead them before you. Help us Lord to weather the storms of life, and to endure the pain and suffering of this world. Strengthen us Father, and sustain us as we serve you. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God whose Son has redeemed us, and for making all pain and suffering bearable, and good, as we serve you. Praised be your name for the wonders you show us, and for the trials you lead us into victory over. Merciful are you who protects us against evil, and great are you who sent your Son Jesus to defeat sin and death that we might spend eternity with you. Your grace abounds Father, and your love for us knows no end… we praise and worship you for this, and love you in return with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Wash us in the precious blood of Jesus, and cleanse us in this way of all sin. Fill our baskets with the bread that is His body, and our cups with His blood so that we can offer it to all those who come to Him, and you. Lead us into righteousness, and call us your worthy children as we stand before you bearing the image of Jesus on the day of our judgement. On that faithful day, seat us at your table, and give us your greatest blessing… eternity in your presence… no more tears, no more suffering, no darkness of sin, no depths of death; just peace, joy, and everlasting awe as we look out over your perfect creation.
Rich Forbes