Focus
Let yourself become open to God and the knowledge that comes from the Word. Ask God for peace at this time.
Read
Luke 18:31-34 (NRSV)
Then he took the twelve aside and said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be handed over to the Gentiles; and he will be mocked and insulted and spat upon. After they have flogged him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise again.” But they understood nothing about all these things; in fact, what he said was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.
Reflect
It’s easy to see how confused and troubled Jesus’ disciples would have been to hear him say them things like, “We’re going to Jerusalem, and there I will be handed over to the authorities and executed.” If you or I began to say things like that to our friends and family, we would probably find ourselves under pressure from all parties to see a psychiatrist.
I don’t want to be one who encourages irrational behavior, but I must honestly say that my life experience has taught me that the ways of God often defy human logic. I could relate some real life experiences in which I have sensed God leading in ways that I would have never chosen if left to my own rational reasoning. I’m guessing some of you reading these words have similar experiences you could share as well.
Perhaps the hardest lesson to accept from Jesus’ life is that God does not always lead us to that which is desirable or pleasant. Human experience indicates strongly that God’s way often leads through hardship, struggle, and pain. The scriptures speak of this time and time again. The one constant in it all is that God’s way is ultimately worth any suffering, any sacrifice.
Pray
God, help us to choose your way, even when it is the way of suffering. Help us to trust that your way is the way of life, even when it leads through the valley of the shadow of death. We pray this in the name of our suffering savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Go with God.
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