Then Jesus made it clear to his disciples that it was now necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, submit to an ordeal of suffering at the hands of the religious leaders, be killed, and then on the third day be raised up alive. Peter took him in hand, protesting, “Impossible, Master! That can never be!”
But Jesus didn’t swerve. “Peter, get out of my way. Satan, get lost. You have no idea how God works.”
Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?
“Don’t be in such a hurry to go into business for yourself. Before you know it the Son of Man will arrive with all the splendor of his Father, accompanied by an army of angels. You’ll get everything you have coming to you, a personal gift. This isn’t pie in the sky by and by. Some of you standing here are going to see it take place, see the Son of Man in kingdom glory.”
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Two months ago, a high school sophomore in our community named Cody was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He subsequently underwent surgery to remove the tumor, and for days and weeks afterward, things looked very bleak. His mother reflected on this journey in a post on Facebook:
I vowed that in this, the second greatest storm of my life, I would not make the same mistake as the first...I would not turn away from our Creator. This time, I would stand…no matter where this road took us. I am now in total understanding that the Holy Spirit was responsible for that firm resolution. He knew [that] Cody would die without it, so a measure of faith was poured out to me.“You have no idea how God works.” As we move one day closer to Good Friday, the day when we remember Jesus’ suffering on the cross for the sins of the world, we don’t understand what is happening. We are like Peter…we want Jesus to hold up His hands and say, “Whoa, wait a minute! This isn’t happening!” But we don’t understand that this is yet one more temptation by the devil. If Satan can get us to doubt…if he can persuade us to cry out to God and tell Him that “I give in…this is too much to manage!”…he has won – and we have handed him the victory.
Through some of the darkest days when I couldn't see, all I could do was pray and post. I'd scroll through your responses, and in them I would find strength. People who didn't have to came up beside me and walked with me. Together, we watched as my son walked through the valley of Death, as doctors gave us severe news after severe news…as nurses looked at me with empathy that would make me cringe, because I'd given those looks to patient families when my medical brain knew their future. As I leaned over my very intubated, very much unstable child, I recited "strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord."
Don’t misunderstand me…there is no shame in calling on God for help and/or deliverance. God WANTS us to petition Him for these things. But He also wants us to trust His answers…to operate in the confidence that He will carry us through even the “valley of Death”. God wants us to understand that suffering for Him builds strength and character…and demonstrates our commitment to serving as a disciple of Christ. God doesn’t relish our suffering. It anguishes Him just as surely as He was tormented over the atrocities that befell Jesus on Calvary.
Cody is due to be released from the hospital very soon. He has lost his hearing…for now. His mother says the damage is at the brain stem, and they are waiting – and hoping – for “the good LORD to reconnect and re-fire neurons.” She explains that the issue is in processing sound within the brain itself. In the meantime they are learning basic sign language and lip reading. Cody’s mother also noted that “What a horrible, terrifying, beautiful ride it has been and continues to be. He grows stronger every, EVERY day. We have [seen]... YOU have seen the hand of God.”
Are you allowing God to work in and through your “sufferings”? Have you truly seen His hand at work in your life and in the lives of others? What could you ever trade your soul for? Are you willing to follow Jesus to the cross and embrace His suffering on your behalf? Are you ready to follow Him and find your true self? Will Holy Week be just another holiday to you… or will this be the year that you “embrace the suffering of Jesus” and claim your seat at His table? Will you be one who sees the Son of Man in kingdom glory?
©2014 Debbie Robus
No comments:
Post a Comment