I have to believe it. I just have to believe that He is in my hard place right now.
Part of what discussed today at BSF was the story from John 4:43-54 of Jesus healing the son of a nobleman. During this portion of the lecture, our teaching leader discussed the likelihood that the nobleman was initially resistant to believing that Jesus was not limited by time, space or death. I think back now and wonder how hard it must have been to believe Jesus and obey when he said, “Go, your son will live” (vs. 50).
At one point, she loosely quoted Tom Landry:
“Leadership is getting someone to do what they don’t want to do, to achieve what they want to achieve.”
While our lecture was not on leadership, the point that I took away from it was this: Sometimes, God is going to make me do some things that don’t want to do to achieve the results that He wants.
That nobleman had to believe and act on that belief by leaving and going home in order for Jesus to release his healing power.
But between that time of belief/action and the time that he got word that his son was alive and well, the nobleman was on the road between Cana and Capernaum. Can you imagine how hard that road home must have been? Knowing that you had entrusted your son’s very life to someone and that you were then leaving behind. How alone must this father have felt?
But you know what? Jesus was there. He hadn’t been left behind. Not in the least. He was working in the situation as that man took his (literal) steps of faith and headed home.
The man had to do what he didn’t want to do in order for Jesus to achieve the result that He wanted… the man’s faith.
So the final quote this morning was that “Jesus is in the hard places [of life].”
I won’t kid you a bit. I am in a hard place. A hard place full of details that need not be discussed here, but hard nonetheless. I have spent the better part of this week very discouraged and feeling defeated and alone. I have been asking Jesus to shine his Light on my situation that looks so very dark. And now, with this bit of truth, I feel like that prayer is being answered.
Jesus is in the hard places.
I quoted this on twitter today and someone sent me this message back: “The hard place is also known as the "cleft of the rock." He is nearer than you know.”
And, yet again, I am taken back to Exodus 33:18 where Moses says to the Lord, “Show me your glory.” God replies and in verse 22 says, “When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.”
Jesus is in the hard places.
I ask Him to show His glory.
As I am here, in this hard place.
5 Comments:
We all want to serve the Lord in the easy places, like church, doing things for neighbors etc. But, someone has to be that light in the dark. There have been Christians in prisons, in concentration camps, being divorced, being ridiculed and those places are very hard, but God allows us to be there for a reason. Our flesh always wants the easy way out, but God will get the glory if we just trust him where we're out and let him shine through us and not complain but smile through.
Thank you Donna. This is what I believe too. A few years ago I taught on Jonah..and when I was researching I found out that the word for storm was the same word as a word used for God. God is in the hard places but he is also THE hard places. In the storm we are still in His arms, even though we can't see it.
I am praying for you..if you want to talk you know where I am and that I am certainly praying these days!
Sweet thing - know you are being prayed over constantly! And oh, so very loved!
The hard places are the most challenging, but often bring us so much revelation of God. I’m praying for you, sweetie, as you go through the hard place and land yourself right smack dab in the middle of His love and grace! Always remember He is faithful even in the times we can’t understand what He’s doing.
Totally random stop by your blog. Actually I clicked on your bread recipe and decided to browse....isn't amazing how God can speak to us in the strangest ways? I am in a 'hard place' at the moment and so many things resonated with me in this post. Isn't funny the ways in which God speaks to us? Thanks you for this post and thank you God. I hear you:-)
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