“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.” — John 12:27
These were Jesus’ words before He was betrayed and crucified. If anyone knows about suffering, it’s Jesus. His suffering was foretold in the book of Genesis. In fact, the prophet Isaiah even called Him the “Man of Sorrows”.
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The Bible is amazing. It’s all one story that points to the New Covenant ushered in by Jesus Christ. From its first pages (with the brokenness and mess of human sin) God had His eyes on His ultimate promise to His people — Jesus. We can look throughout the Bible and see how God fulfilled His promises and covenants through Jesus. Undeniably, Jesus is a Promise Keeper!
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“And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.” — 2 Thessalonians 2:8
Have you ever read a verse that stopped you? Made you really think about something in a way you hadn’t before? As our Youth Group read through the New Testament this year, it was good to study the Gospels, Epistles and Revelation. A few months ago, I read the above verse and like I said, it stopped me. The chapter talked about the end times (eschatology); it described the Antichrist and the return of Jesus. But the phrase, “the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth” stopped me.
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I recently read the story of the blind man’s conversation with Jesus (Mark —Chapter 10). Basically, the blind man called out to Jesus, and Jesus asked him a great question: “What do you want me to do for you?”
I bet Jesus was smiling at the man who couldn’t see. The Lord knew what he wanted — it was obvious. He just wanted the blind man to verbalize it. “Rabbi, I want to see!” blurted the blind man without hesitation. Probably laughing with joy, Jesus replied, “Go, your faith has healed you.”
Immediately, the man (named Bartimaeus), received his sight and began following Jesus.
Isn’t that great?! Do you think Bartimaeus was shy about telling his story? Do you think his life was ever the same?
I was challenged as I meditated on that amazing scene. The compassionate Jesus joyfully took the opportunity to help a desperate man with an obvious need. I wondered, “What would I say if Jesus asked me, ‘Bill, what do you want me to do for you?’ What is on my heart? Would I hesitate? Do I even know what I want?
Isn’t it incredibly good to know that every day Jesus asks us, “What do you want me to do for you?” He already knows exactly what we need … what we want. And He smiles. He loves answering the prayers of desperate and needy people.
What would you say to Jesus? He’s willing and able to answer. When He does, will you follow Him?
Asking with you,
Bill
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“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” — Psalm 46:10-11
Do you realize that it has been over two years since COVID entered our reality? Our last regular church service (before we temporarily closed) was March 8, 2020. Undeniably, the two years since then have been unlike anything I’ve ever known.
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One of the more frustrating things for me in life is not being able to fall asleep. I don’t often have trouble with this, but I have gone through spells of it. Sometimes, it happens when I first get in bed. Other times, it’s when I wake up in the middle of the night (and can’t fall back to sleep). Instead of finding rest, my mind races, thinking about all there is to worry about in life.
In the still of the night, it’s so easy to reflect on those things that scare us or give us anxiety. Or, perhaps we go through items on the to-do list that we missed that day. Health, relationships, finances, parenting, news of war, what does the future hold? Admittedly, it can all feel paralyzing.
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“Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, 2 who was faithful to [God] who appointed Him.” Hebrews 3:1-2a
The first century Jewish Christians suffered for their faith. In the face of their persecution, those weary Saints were tempted to abandon Christianity. The author of Hebrews wrote this expansive book to teach them why they should “Consider Jesus.” Two thousand years later, the words and truths in Hebrews are relevant for our lives today.
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“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6
Certainly, we’ve given Jesus many names throughout history. What title accurately describes Him or explains His life? Can we know this man from ancient Israel? Indeed, Jesus fulfilled a promise made by the prophet Isaiah. A promise made more than 600 years before Jesus’ birth. Without a doubt, He was no mere man. Above all else, He was God in flesh.
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Recently, I spoke about prayer at our monthly meeting for The Rock Men. Preparing for it reminded me how important prayer truly is. I was challenged by this question, “What is one thing I can set in place to pray more?”
Prayer really is a lifeline for Christians. Martin Luther said, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” It is such an essential and powerful part of our lives. Sadly, it can too easily be put on the back burner in the craziness of life. Simply put, we live in the most distracting time in the history of the world. We have enough content in our phones to fill multiple lifetimes. So, how do we pray more? How do we implement that “one thing”?
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I am absolutely blown away by the responses from the first blog I sent out a few weeks ago. I have received so many encouraging emails, texts and phone calls from friends and loved ones about how helpful my thoughts were. Thank you for taking the time to read it. I’ve also received many inquiries about the other thoughts (I’d mentioned I’d written down). Since I gave you part one, I thought I’d give you part two. (Hey, who knows, maybe I’ll write a book one day?)
Here are some more of my thoughts on grief.
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