THERE IS NO PLACE TO TURN LIKE GOD
After some very difficult preaching, a number of disciples left Jesus. Jesus then asked Peter and some of the other followers, “Are you also leaving?” To which Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. (John 6:68).
You have to come to a place where you say, “Jesus is stuck with me.” The really Good News is that He won't leave you or forsake you. Bonhoeffer says, “We must be ready to allow ourselves to be ready to be interrupted by God.” Be ready today, right now; He wants a moment with you. There is and will be no better moment.
This was acknowledged in the Psalms about God, “In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall.” Where else could you go and get that strength? The gym? Cross-fit? Intermittent fasting?
Chasing your future in God’s purposes, you “Expect Him to come who is above time, the invisible One who became visible for our sake, the untouched One, the One beyond suffering who came to suffer for us, who endured for our sake” (Ignatius). Following Him, you view opposition knowing no weapon formed against you shall prosper. Therefore, rise up as one of those who serve God with great expectation of His faithfulness.
You can expect hope and peace, even in times of impossibility. The first Christians were sequestered, outcast, impoverished, unable to work, and living with great uncertainty. Yet, these stalwart early Christians still managed to find hope and peace (That surpasses understanding) in their Lord. Our inspiration, regardless of time and circumstance, comes from that well-known segment of scripture when Paul and Silas were thrown in jail. Beaten, in chains, and cast into the darkest of prisons, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God. It literally broke their chains, opened up the prison doors, and set them and the other captives free. We learned in this instance the unfathomable power of gratitude and prayer and recognize that at the times we may feel the least thankful, we can still praise the most often.
Here's a quote from those early Christians: "Be more zealous than you are now. Learn to understand the times. Expect Him to come who is above time, the timeless One, the invisible One who became visible for our sake, the untouched One, the One beyond suffering who came to suffer for us, who in every way endured for our sake. Toil together, fight, run, suffer, rest, and rise up together as God’s stewards, companions of His table, and His servants! Please Him who is your Lord during war, Him from whom you will also receive your soldier’s pay. Let none of you desert the flag! Let your baptism remain your armor, faith your helmet, love your spear, patience your weapon." (Letter to Polycarp, ca. AD 120) “Running through troops and leaping over walls” happens best when a profound sense of purpose is chasing you into a future filled with the kind of opposition that requires knowing that if you are for God, God is for you, and then who can be against you?
“Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done.” -C.S. Lewis
With God – all things are possible,
Dr. Ben