Scripture Reading: John 11:1-45
I am a planner, goal and detail-oriented. My plans are mapped out in my mind, written into lists, spoken in directions to others. Whenever a new, unexpected situation arises in my life, I try to wrap my mind around it by forming a plan: What am I dealing with? How will I respond? Whose help do I need? Which tools or resources would be most useful? It doesn't take long before I have a desired outcome in mind and a plan for how to achieve it. These planning skills are quite handy when needed. However, the reality of how God's plan doesn't always align with my own becomes obvious to me when I read passages like this one from the gospel of John. As I read about the story of Lazarus' illness and death, I consider another important planning question: When will I take action? I try to anticipate Jesus' response at every turn of the plot. I think of what my responses would be and how I would handle the next steps. In every instance, though, I am surprised by what Jesus does (or does not do). When he first hears of Lazarus' illness, surely he will show some concern or a hint of grief, right? No! In fact, when he heard the news, "Jesus said, This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.'” (John 11:4) Jesus is confident that this is not a time for sorrow, but instead a time when God will be glorified. Well! I didn't see that coming! Surely he will at least want to rush to Lazarus' side to be with him and comfort him during the illness? I imagine times when I have heard of a friend struggling with health issues and gone out to send a card or bring them a meal, or called to chat with them and take their mind off things. That must be what Jesus will do next: go straight to Lazarus to bring him comfort. But no--then Jesus decides to wait two more days before making the journey back to Judea. This seems strange indeed! However, this is a time when, as Jesus told his disciples earlier, he will be glorified as God's Son. This gets to the heart of the matter in a way all my previous planning questions do not. Rather than focusing on what he will do, which tools he will use, how he will act, or even when, Jesus is focused on WHY. Why is this happening to Lazarus? So that God will be glorified. That is the outcome, not death, as Jesus has already shared. All of the other aspects of Jesus' response to the situation are tailored to this one objective of glorifying God. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:9) My first thought when I hear of Lazarus and his sisters is to immediately rush to them and try to fix the situation. Thinking of times I have talked with friends in poor health, I would probably try to find out what remedies they had tried, if they had consulted a doctor, and what the real prognosis was in case I could see an alternative solution. If there was none, I would try to console them and grieve with them. I certainly would not choose the path that Jesus did of waiting and focusing on glorifying God. And therein lies my problem! As I reflect on the story of Lazarus and compare my response to Jesus' response, I realize that my efforts at planning in the face of a difficult situation are concerned with doing good and helping others. However, they are also motivated by my desire to take control and be in charge of the circumstances. I am typically focused on what I can do, how I can help, what I know that might be useful to someone. As I said before, my skills and ideas can be helpful, but this scripture is an important reminder that I need to keep God at the forefront of my plans and efforts, especially those intended to help others. Does my plan of action reflect God's influence? Have I prayerfully considered how I will act? Have I allowed for the possibility to not act to leave room for others to help, or for things to happen in God's timing rather than mine? Ultimately, are my plans motivated by a desire to glorify God and serve Him through caring for others? Or am I trying to bring glory to myself and what I can do? At the end of this story about Lazarus, Jesus meets with Lazarus' sister Martha: "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?' 'Yes, Lord,' she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.'” (John 11:25-27) Her sister Mary then also professes her faith by declaring to Jesus that his presence would have prevented Lazarus' death. After these expressions of faith, Jesus goes to Lazarus' tomb, accompanied by Lazarus' grieving sisters and others who were mourning. Jesus grieves with them. And then he finally takes action, telling them to roll away the stone from the tomb. As they are doing this, Jesus gives glory to God: "...Then Jesus looked up and said, 'Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.'” (John 11:41-42) Even as the Son of God, Jesus wants to be sure those around him recognize the involvement of God the Father in the miracle they are about to witness. Then finally Jesus calls to Lazarus to come out, and "the dead man came out," alive once more through the intervention of Christ, to the glory of God. This ending far surpasses any that I could have planned or even imagined. It makes me wonder how often in our life God is waiting to work miracles of all shapes and sizes, if we would just make room for Him in all our planning and concern ourselves with glorifying Him in all that we do. As Jesus explained to Martha when he first visited her and her sister Mary, “'Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered, 'you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one...'" (Luke 10:41-42) The next time I am confronted with an unexpected situation, surprising circumstances, or an opportunity to act based on my own powers and ideas of what should be done, I am going to think of the story of Lazarus and remember that God's plan is often not the same as mine. Rather than forging ahead in my own way, for my own glory and satisfaction, I want to be more like Jesus who decided how to respond based on what would glorify God. If we trust that God cares for His creation, including us, then He will not fail to take care of us in our times of need, even if it is by a means or a timetable that we would not at first choose on our own. By focusing first on God, we will be able to see a way forward that not only addresses the earthly needs that are present, but does so in a way that addresses spiritual needs as well and gives glory to God instead of ourselves. So before we rush to plan, to act, to speak, to fix...let us seek God's guidance to show us the way. To God be the glory, now and forever! How do you first respond to new or challenging situations? How do you balance listening for God's direction and taking action? What are some times when you have sensed God's plan differing from your own? What did that look like and how did it turn out? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Feel free to share them in the comments here or on the Contact page.
0 Comments
Scripture Reading: 2 Peter 1:3-11
We are called to live lives of faithfulness as followers of Christ, but what does this look like exactly? The author of 2 Peter breaks down seven qualities of a faithful Christian. Although we will inevitably fall short in our efforts to attain these and live them out in our lives, the author insists on the importance of trying, not only for our own sake, but so that our lives might reflect the loving grace of the God and the compassionate love of His Son Jesus. It is this love that people are hungry for, and by showing this love through our faithful living, we will transform the world and help others connect with God. This passage from 2 Peter is a tough kind of scripture for me to read and fully embrace because it contains both grace and accountability. I love grace, but I tend to shy away from things that hold me accountable because I don’t like the feeling of not measuring up. I’m not sure I know of anyone who appreciates being told that they are not doing a good enough job, especially when it comes to how we live our lives and live out our faith. However, I sense that the message here is not only about holding up a measuring stick, but a reminder of our underlying motivation for trying to do better with how we live out our lives faithfully. The part that stands out to me in this passage is the list of qualities the author names in verses 5-7: “…make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.” There are some very interesting things to discuss about the items in that list and their significance, but my mind at first notices there is a list, and my type-A personality wants to make sure I have all the items checked off and accounted for. This is not an easy task, though! Thankfully God promises grace to us in our efforts. Even though we will fall short, the author is saying it’s still important that we try to acquire and live out these traits, so first things first… The order of the qualities seems important, so if I start at the beginning, I know that I have faith – check! Then the author says I should add “goodness” to that, which some theologians also describe as virtue, justice, or the strength and courage to stand up for what’s right in God’s eyes. Does that kind of goodness show up in my life? Well, sometimes. I know I recognize God’s goodness (or the need for it) in situations in life, but I need to be more consistent in doing my part to help make that goodness a reality and stand up for it when I have that opportunity. So…half-check? Next is knowledge – great! I love knowledge! Learning about God, scripture, Christian teaching and practice is something I really enjoy and spend time doing. Big check here! But wait, then there’s self-control… This one I get stuck on big time! All of that wonderful knowledge of God’s desires and commands for me as a follower of Christ is comforting and helpful, but it also means my heart, my mind, my words, and my actions should reflect those things. I know that becoming familiar with God’s Word is life-changing, but I’m a work in progress when it comes to letting it change my life. One of the areas in my life I’ve had to confront and try to allow God to change is my temper. I often rush to anger as a first reaction in situations, and it’s taken me a lot of prayer, experience, apologies, and a little therapy to realize what other emotions I’m feeling underneath the anger. Needless to say, this has made self-control very hard for me at times. On the positive side, I have noticed lately that in challenging real life situations that test my self-control, I now immediately have helpful Bible verses come to mind that keep my temper more in check, as well as the thought of “how does my response to this reflect that I am an imperfect person who has been made whole by God’s loving grace?” (Not that I have that whole sentence run through my head, but the idea is there!) Being more active in Bible studies and at my church has really helped me out with this! That has made such a huge difference for me compared to when I wasn’t actively involved with scripture regularly and those verses and thoughts did not come to mind until long after the situation had passed, or not at all. Without those reminders of my faith and identity as a follower of Christ, I am typically much more impatient and self-centered, which means my reactions to challenging situations involve getting frustrated or defensive with people. With those reminders, I am able to have more self-control and respond with less anger. This is not just about checking off “self-control” on the list – it gives me more peace internally to remember those verses that tell me God is much bigger than my situation and is looking out for me. When I have that peace, it comforts me, but it also frees me up to be more patient, kind and loving to others because I can compassionately relate to their perspective and needs without worrying so much about myself. I no longer live at the mercy of my stress and emotions. That is freedom! Do I do all of this in a perfectly loving, gentle, Christ-like way? No, there is still room for improvement there. But my faith has grown enough at this point to allow me to have some self-control and not erupt with anger as my fist response. There is so much negativity and hurt in the world already; I do not want to add to it. And I hope to continue to grow in self-control and the other qualities the author mentions so that my encounters with people are not just neutral, but are a way that God can show them His love and compassion through me. If you look at the final quality on the list, it is love—and not just any love, “agape” according to the Greek translation: Christ-like love. As I see it, the ultimate goal of our efforts to acquire and live out these qualities the author writes about is not strictly for our own benefit, or so that we can feel good about ourselves or superior to others. It is so that we know Christ’s deep, abiding, compassionate, “agape” love in our lives and have it overflow into all that we are and all that we do. Then as we go about living, others will experience that wonderful love through us—our words, our actions, how we treat each other, the help we provide, and even the anger we hold in check in order to offer a glimpse of compassion and peace. As we move through Lent, I hope you can take time to reflect on this passage and find ways to grow in these areas of faithfulness, as well as celebrate how you are already growing in others. As the author also writes here, we have the “great and precious promises” from God that He will provide for our needs, help us grow in our faith, and forgive us when we fall short. Let’s encourage each other to continue growing so that we can “receive rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” and help others do the same. How are you growing in the qualities listed in this passage from 2 Peter? Where have you seen things to celebrate in your walk with God, and where might He be calling you to reflect and try again? What are ways that you seek guidance and encouragement as you grow in your faith? I'd love to hear your thoughts - feel free to share in the comments or via the Contact page! There are some passages in scripture that truly make my spirit sing. They beat in rhythm with my heart and seem to touch my very soul in a loving, healing sort of way. Psalm 121 is one such passage for me.
I first discovered it in its entirety in college on the eve of my departure on an international mission trip. Faced with the reality of flying in a plane to another country with other students I barely knew, it struck me how little there was in this situation that I could control. As cautious and self-sufficient as I normally would try to be in my regular life, I was stepping far out of that safe, familiar realm and willingly putting my life in the hands of others. Although I know that nothing is guaranteed to anyone ever, something about those circumstances had me confronting the possibility that I was taking a very big risk and may not make it home safely. It was a frightening thought, and my anxiety crept higher and higher over the final days before our trip. Then one night as I was skimming through scripture, I found Psalm 121. It calmed my fears immediately and flooded me with a sense of peace. I lift up my eyes to the mountains-- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2) I remembered that I was not just putting my life in other people's hands, but also in God's hands, where it has been all along. And as the Maker of heaven and earth, surely He was powerful enough to help me! He will not let your foot slip-- he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you-- the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night (Psalm 121:3-6) Many times in my life I have tried to be self-sufficient and take care of way too many tasks and responsibilities rather than asking for help. Sometimes it has been motivated by pride, other times by a need to be in charge, and other times by a desire to impress those around me. The most common side-effect of this for me has been sleep deprivation. At times this has become extreme to the point that I physically could not keep my eyes open any longer and would fall asleep in the middle of the day or while I was working late at night. I have even exhausted myself to the point of having mononucleosis, which forced me to bed rest for a week. Through those experiences I have learned that I am someone who needs a sizeable amount of sleep regularly to function coherently and feel like myself. So for me, these verses are particularly impressive and meaningful. God is looking out for me every second of every day! He never tires and has to sleep! He is just as powerful and all-knowing and concerned for my well-being today as He was yesterday and will be tomorrow. The Lord will keep you from all harm-- he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. (Psalm 121:7-8) This last stanza resonated with me especially in anticipation of my overseas trip, and it continues to come to mind whenever I travel. I think it would do us well to remember it every time we step outside our home! The world can be frightening and seem full of dangers and threats, known and unknown. It would be easy to get caught up in anxiety about what or who may harm us if we venture out of our comfort zones. However, I think God calls us in this psalm to remember His almighty power and His abiding love for us. He is watching over us always and will care for us as we go out to care for others in His name. Does that mean there is no risk involved? No! But God goes with us; He is before us and behind us, guarding our path. So take heart and don't be afraid! Keeping the promises of Psalm 121 in mind, we can live bravely in His name today and always. Have there been times in your life when a scripture passage has brought you comfort just when you needed it most? Which passages speak to you in those times? What aspects or images of God bring you peace in times of uncertainty? I'd love to hear your thoughts - feel free to share in the comments or via the Contact page! |
AuthorRachel is a wife, mom, and follower of Christ. She is active in lay leadership in the United Methodist Church. Archives
October 2017
Categories© Rachel Yochum and Bible Bridge Ministry, 2017. All rights reserved.
|