After a weekend more terrible I cannot recall except for in time of war these words from the twenty third psalm gave me hope and comfort. I pray they will for you as well.
In the presence of death He remains the Good Shepherd
At a time of great sorrows only He can comfort
When our world seems black as night He knows the through the valley
Even if everyone runs away our Lord Jesus promises He will never leave. Our hope is built not on who sits in the white house but who sits upon the throne!
When I was a kid I remember how my parents laid down the law about the evils of smoking early and often. The only problem with their argument was that I knew there was a carton of Camels in the kitchen drawer which I began snitching on Saturdays when I was about 11. Those pesky cigarettes made me wonder a little about laws in general – even God’s laws. But the good news is that Jesus isn’t like me or my parents. He not only tells us the right thing: He does it Himself! So when Jesus told us to ask, seek and knock, it is wonderful to know that He also put into practice everything that He asked us to do.
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7 ESV
Now stop for a minute and ask yourself, “Why does the creator of the universe need to ask for anything?” Then remember when Jesus says. “Come to me all who are thirsty. Come to me and drink” He doesn’t chase after us with a garden hose! Instead He asks and then patiently waits for us to come. Also there are times when we get so tangled up in sin that we just can’t get out. That is when He comes seeking us like a shepherd. He willingly leaves the safety of Heaven just so He could find us at the cross. Last of all recall that He doesn’t break down my doors of doubt and anger (though He could). Instead Jesus stands outside knocking; and then waits until I open. What an amazing Savior we have! Jesus didn’t just come to lay down the law. He came lay down His life!
And he looked up, and said. I see men as trees walking. After that he put his hands again upon his eyes and made him look up: and he was restored and saw every man clearly. Mark 8:24-25 KJV
This year I have been through two operations to remove pterygiums which had formed on my eyes during a lifetime of outdoor work. Unlike cataract surgery this procedure requires about a month of somewhat painful recovery. While I knew that I needed those dog-goned pterygiums taken off, I just wished there was an instant and painless solution. Maybe the story of this blind man was written for people just like you and me.
“So why the slow crawl towards a miracle?” – You might ask. Maybe a better question is, “Why does God only let us see men like trees walking?” After all, most of the miracles that Jesus did were spiritual slam dunks. He commanded a storm and – Bam! It obeyed; Water into wine? No problem!! I love it when God’s answer to my prayers comes like Publishers Clearing House showing up at my door with a million dollar check. But when God works on changing my attitudes; now that takes a lot longer. If you are struggling through a painful rehab or are facing God’s “heart attitude surgery” just trust Him. He is working for our good and His loving care plan is to walk with us through every day of our pain until the day we will be able to look up and say, “Oh Lord Jesus – seeing trees walking is a miracle!” Then as we rest in His plan, the the day will also come when we can say, “Thank you Lord, today I can see all men clearly!”
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