Annie and I had many trials this week. Because we’ve felt exactly like the disciples in the following writing, with tears of joy, I read the following to Annie just now and she said, “Wow, you need to send this out today.” We love you so much and know that God is in complete control of your lives. ☺♥☺♥
The following is taken from the book, “Power in Praise” by Merlin Carothers.
Yet it was the Lord’s good plan to bruise Him and fill Him with grief. But when His soul has been made an offering for sin, then He shall have a multitude of children, many heirs. He shall live again and God’s program shall prosper in His hands. And when He sees all that is accomplished by the anguish of His soul, He shall be satisfied; and because of what He has experienced, My righteous Servant shall make many to be counted righteous before God, for He shall bear all their sins. Therefore I will give Him the honors of one who is mighty and great, because He has poured out His soul unto death. He was counted as a sinner, and he bore the sins of many, and He pled with God for sinners (Isaiah 53:5-12)
Jesus knew that His crucifixion was not a thwarting of God’s plan, but a fulfillment of it. The disciples, however, didn’t understand. They saw the crucifixion of Jesus as an end to all their hopes and dreams for the future. They didn’t remember Jesus’ words when He told them, You have sorrow now, but I will see you again and then you will rejoice and no one can rob you of that joy (John 16:22)
The disciples weren’t looking forward to seeing Jesus again, and when they were told that He was no longer in the tomb, they thought His body had been stolen.
Later that day, two of Jesus’ followers walked along the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus. They were talking about Jesus’ death when suddenly Jesus Himself came and walked beside them. But they didn’t recognize Him.
He looked at their sad faces and said, What are you so concerned about? One of them named Cleopas, said You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about the terrible things that happened there last week (Luke 24:17-18).
Jesus listened as they poured out their sad tale to Him, about the wonderful Jesus of Nazareth who had done such great miracles that they were sure He was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel, but the religious leaders had handed Him over to the Roman government and He had been crucified. The men spoke as if they had just witnessed the greatest tragedy the world had ever known. On top of it all, they said the body of Jesus was missing from the tomb and some women said they’d seen angels who told them that Jesus was alive. The men seemed certain that the last bit of news could only be a fairy tale.
Then Jesus said to them, You are such foolish, foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures! Wasn’t it clearly predicted by the prophets that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering His time of glory?
Then Jesus quoted them passage after passage from the writings of the prophets, beginning with the book of Genesis, and going right on through the Scriptures, explaining what the passages meant and what they said about Himself (Luke 24:25-27).
By this time they were coming near Emmaus, and since it was getting late, the two men asked the stranger to spend the night with them. They still hadn’t recognized Him!
Jesus came home with them, and when they sat down to eat, He asked God’s blessing on the food and then took a small loaf of bread and broke it and was passing it over to them when suddenly – it was as though their eyes were opened – they recognized Him! (Luke 24:30-31)
At last they believed. But for so long they had been able to see only the outward circumstances and had completely missed seeing God’s perfect plan unfolding.
The disciples had seen their leader crucified, an apparent triumph of evil over good, and they had taken it as proof that God was not present with them. Yet, had they believed God’s Word spoken through the prophets, they would have taken the same circumstances as evidence that God was with them and working out His plan.
We, too, are like the disciples. When trials and sorrows come our way, our first reaction is, “Oh God, why have you forsaken me?”
But Jesus said, Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows; but cheer up, for I have overcome the world (John 16:33)
If we truly believed these words of Jesus, we’d see our circumstances as evidence of God’s presence with us, and we’d praise and thank Him for them instead of complaining and grumbling.
We shake our head at the world conditions as if to say, “Now there is plenty of evidence that God isn’t doing much these days.”
But Jesus told His followers to expect wars, earthquakes, famines, insurrections, epidemics, and so on down the list – a perfect picture of the world we live in, and a promise that it would be getting worse.
Jesus said, Now when these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads because your redemption is drawing near (Luke 21:28 RSV).
When things get worse in this world of ours, it is no evidence that God is absent or indifferent. Quite the contrary. All these signs are evidence that God is very near, that every part of His plan and purpose is being fulfilled just as His Word has promised us.
Jesus told His disciples to rejoice with Him over His crucifixion. Had they been able to trust in His word, they could have experienced joy instead of grief. God’s Word tells us to rejoice in our trials.
Peter wrote, Though not seeing Him you trust Him; and even now you are happy with the inexpressible joy that comes from heaven itself (1 Peter 1:8).
So what will you believe? Will you walk along your road as did the two men going toward Emmaus, saddened and preoccupied by the outward circumstances, convinced that God is far away? Or will you let your eyes be opened and be thankful?
Receive the love, the peace, and the joy that Jesus is offering you. Believe that Jesus is with you and that God is working in every circumstance of your life to meet your need.
The very thing you think is painful proof of God’s absence from your life is in fact His loving provision to draw you toward Himself – so that your joy may be full!
Look up and praise Him! He loves you and He dwells in the praises of His people!
Thanking and praising God in all things (Ephesians 5:20),
Mark
Note: While we may not agree with everything a particular church or Christian group teaches or believes, there are times when we can be blessed by something outside the realm of our current understanding of God.