Many years ago, I reunited with an old friend from school and a group of us made plans to hang out Saturday night. We met at “the spot” and everybody seemed friendly enough. We had a great time reminiscing and listening to new stories from the “friends of friends” who’d joined us for the evening.
It was late and the night was still as I walked away from the car full of new and old friends,smiling and waving goodbye. I thought to myself what a great time we’d had. But before I could shift my thoughts to my front door where I was headed, a man jumped from the bushes with a baseball bat! My whole life flashed before me. Battery, rape, murder – - what would he do to me?
Just then, the door of the car I had exited only moments ago flung open and people, most of whom I barely knew, spilled out on every side.
I was humbled that they would risk their lives for mine. The assailant fled and my friends, old and new, made sure I made it inside safe and sound.
I shudder to think of how differently that night would have ended had the people from the car decided that I wasn’t worth fighting for. Few things heighten our self-worth more than when we realize that someone sacrificed or risked something for our benefit.
Not to be a bragger, but that’s not the first time someone I barely knew risked their life for me. I was in another life threatening predicament and while it would be any normal parent’s reaction to preserve their own child, this Father sacrificed His AND LET HIM DIE so I wouldn’t have to. About 2000 years ago, God saw that the only way you and I could escape eternal damnation was for Jesus to give His life to save ours. (John 3:16)
If you are a born again believer, the question is the answer. I was reading my daily devotion from “Streams in the Desert.” Today’s passage was a hard truth. Despite all the scriptures in the Bible that attempt to prepare us christians for the “harsh” reality of suffering and affliction that is part of the package of our christian walk, we still, very often find ourselves blindsided by the shock of trouble and hurt. We even temporarily lose focus of our deliverer, healer, miracle worker and comforter and allow the issue at hand to usurp all of our attention, as if it could ever be more powerful than our Lord Jesus.
The reading from the book said "know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be...mistreated four hundred years. But ...afterward they will come out with great possessions. (Gen 15:13-14)
I can be sure that the journey to God's promised blessing for me involves delay and suffering. The delay in Abraham's lifetime that seemed to put God's promise well beyond fulfillment was indeed only a delay - the promise was fulfilled. God is going to use delays to prove us, and along with the delays will come suffering. May we be strong, take heart and wait for the Lord (Ps 27:14) regardless of what it LOOKS like or what we DON'T SEE because Hope that is seen is not hope. (Romans 8:24)
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He took them with Him and they withdrew by themselves. – Luke 9:10
Is there anything more intimate than slipping away to be alone with someone? In the quiet, you can whisper secrets and share your heart. Here is where you’ll find that you are comfortable or most uncomfortable. Jesus fed five thousand AFTER He had slipped away. (Luke 9:10-17). Elijah turned the widow into an oil mogul AFTER he had slipped away. (IKings 17:5-16).
Don’t look for every ‘slip away’ experience to be identical. Just as you don’t always have to repeat the same sequence with your best friends, sometimes its a game, it may be the mall, or it could be dinner, true friends don’t need words, music or food to ensure a good time. The simplicity of your presence is fulfillment enough. Just BE there.
In the beginning, please know that its not unusual to be distracted in prayer or to become fatigued in worship. However, in order to be of any ample spiritual stature, you must first grow in prayer. You can do this in the same way that you would submit to an exercise regimen at your local gym. Begin a workout program and gradually increase the number of reps, amount of weights or length of cardiovascular exercise. Any honest prayer or praise warrior will admit that they had to build up their stamina in prayer and worship by engaging in a regular, consistent routine. If you will commit to a graduating system, this week, carving out five minutes a day of concentrated, alone time with the lover of your soul and next week, ten minutes a day, before you know it, you will be looking at your watch wondering “where did the time go?”
