Friday, April 16, 2010

THANK YOU JEN!!!! I needed this...now I'm sharing it.



SOOOO worth the read.
Uncertainty is a difficult thing to bear. We want to know where the provision is going to come from or if we're going to die of this disease or how this child is going to turn out or if our job will still be there next month. 
But as we see in Luke 9:57-58. Jesus makes it clear that his disciples must be able to bear uncertainty if they are to follow him...
...So when an adoring fan announced his desire to follow him anywhere, Jesus deglamorized things a bit by replying, "Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head". (Luke 9:58)


God doesn't tell us how that person responded because what's important is the implied question: can you bear uncertainty? Can you bear not knowing how God is going to provide for your most urgent needs and still trust that He will?
It is a question that Jesus wants all his disciples to wrestle with. There are simply going to be times when we don't know where the provision is going to come from. Circumstances will look precarious, sometimes foreboding and threatening. Plans are going to fall through. People are going to disappoint us. They may reject or misunderstand our mission. If these things happened to Jesus, we should not be surprised when they happen to us. And we are not to become angry when they do. Note that Jesus rebukes James and John for their response. (Luke 9:55)
Jesus does not want us to be governed by fear at such times. He wants us governed by faith. The reason is that the uncertainty is only apparent uncertainty. Our future and our provision and our ultimate triumph are certain to God. He has all the foreknowledge, power, resources, and desire to turn everything for good for those who love him and are called by Him (Romans 8:28)
Apparently uncertain seasons are usually the most powerful God moments we experience. They often put God on display more than other seasons, demonstrating that God exists and rewards those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6)
So if you are in one of those seasons, take heart. You are likely experiencing what is means to have a God  "who acts for those who wait for Him" (Isaiah 64:4)

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