Have you ever had an experience like this? It is always amazing that when we are
uncertain about something that we pray and go forward with great trepidation
and then see the Lord moving in amazing ways to answer the prayers exactly as
we prayed them. Our problem is that most
of the time we move out with certainty about things when we ought always to go
with uncertainty. We are too much in
control most of the time in our lives, we leave very little room for the Lord
to surprise us. Rarely do we get outside
our comfort zone of control and routine to allow God to delight us by leading
our prayers to coincide with what He is doing.
The servant of Abraham is asked to do something about which he knows
nothing and can only see that this can go badly so He leans completely on God
for success and his prayer is answered in every detail. How are some ways we can allow God to
surprise us today by getting out of our comfort zone? How about making everything we do today in
our jobs, family, whatever, a possible way for God to allow us to share with
others about Him?
The feast of booths was a joyous time of remembrance of
God’s great provision. In the wilderness
they had no permanent dwellings and had no ability to grow crops to provide for
the nation so the Lord provided food for forty years. The feast of booths is a time when the people
“get small”. They forsake their normal
dwellings and construct small booths in which to live and remember the Lord’s
goodness to their ancestors. In this way
they all the more should appreciate the lavish goodness they now experience in
the Land. Jesus’ brothers don’t believe
in Him and their understanding is that Jesus wants to be somebody and the way
to do that is to be a public spectacle so they encourage Him to do so at the feast. Jesus speaks of His “time” in a way that they
cannot understand because His time to be a public spectacle is an awful thing,
not one that will be glorious in the eyes of the world. His response is similar to the one He gave
Mary at the wedding. Ultimately Jesus
goes and hears the public debate on Him, He is becoming famous and infamous all
at the same time, the court of public opinion is definitely mixed.
Does anyone enjoy the discipline of the Lord? We know that in order to become who we want
to be we have to discipline our lives in certain ways. If we want to be an athlete we find out what
it takes and then set to work becoming that instead of something else. If we want to become a business person we go
to school and submit to the discipline of learning and understanding
business. Professions typically require
an internship of some sort to become fully licensed. Becoming like Jesus is a matter of discipline
because it requires us to change. The
main thing is to seek first the kingdom of God, realize that we need to stay
close to the Lord in prayer. We have to
realize our comfort zones are dangerous places to be as we tend to control our
lives by the flesh and not the Spirit. Can
we truly live completely dependent on Him?
I will praise the name
of God with a song;
I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
This will please the LORD more than an ox
or a bull with horns and hoofs.
When the humble see it they will be glad;
you who seek God, let your hearts revive.
I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
This will please the LORD more than an ox
or a bull with horns and hoofs.
When the humble see it they will be glad;
you who seek God, let your hearts revive.
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