It is a great revelation to accept the truth that in our limitations in Christ; Christ rises above it to love us steadfastly and earnestly. John the baptist is a good example of this revelation, as well as Lazarus.
We must be honest also in the fact there are times in our lives when we would like Jesus to go bless the neighbor temporarily, so we can take a time out with God and do our desires.
Our circumstances have us pause to see the endless disappointments that seem to have turned up that we have cemented our resolve to despair. We begin to stop moving forward and upward and become introspective and ask, "What can I do when there's nothing I can do? Ugh!" Some things we know can be resolved by our effort thru obedience as God creates in us His answers, but some circumstances are seemingly permanent. What do we do with those issues?
We say, "But this is just the way it is now..." We say it in: relationships, kids, financial issues, professional issues, health issues, academic limitations. And ironically our options to answer them makes things even worse. How do we solve loneliness? In ways that are more unhealthy emotionally and Spiritually that create, in themselves, other dark issues.. Internal battles churn in our minds in the area of jealousy, resentfulness, and anger.
Ironically we see others having testimonies of answered prayers, like someone who finds their keys, after absorbed prayers, and we pop internally; we leak our anger and say to ourselves, "Really? His keys?... while my wife and kids, (or any issue on that list), are being devastated? Please!" And Satan suggests that you will never be happy again. Nothing good can come from this! And don't give me a Hallmark card and say it will; suggesting "all things turn out for good for those who love Jesus".. You just don't understand my situation!"
You have given up on hope and start to just look for relief. Relief in venting your problems to others without faithful forward and upward movement toward God's refuge. You say, "If only I can get some calm reassurance that God knows about this!" Is He absent, apathetic, and angry with me?" "What can I do to get His attention?"
This is nothing new in the history of man, Scripture, too, examples this. "If I could see someone else who is going thru the exact same issue I am experiencing I might be encouraged to hear how they got out thru it." But know God is not angry with us because He poured out His anger on His Son. Wow! Right?! There is not one circumstance or behavior that can disturb God's love for us. He has resolved to love us and as Jesus said "It is Finished!" God's love is offered in full always despite our limitations, and outside influences in our circumstances. When we leave God He is still there. When we have not left Him, yet He seems to have left us He is really still there. He loves steadfastly always. We have many doubts, and God knows that and will renew us, but we must handle our doubts with God as He carries us thru them..
So, let us look at the two examples in Scripture to help us remain faithful despite our circumstances. First, let's look at John the baptist. One day Jesus was preaching in Galilee to some of His core guys and He gets ready to send some out, and suddenly some men walk up and ask Jesus a question; a question John the baptist has sent these men to ask. Why did he not ask it himself? Well, King Herod, (based on his wife's influence), had imprisoned him. This was the second Herod, they had a thing for that name...smile. So, these disciples of John ask, "Are you really Jesus? Are you really the Messiah? Are you really the sent One from God? Are You really the One we have been waiting for?"
Now John was highly regarded by Jesus, and was loved dearly. As John , during this time was stepping aside in His ministry and was sending his followers now to Jesus which people were obliging. Jesus says about John the baptist, "Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen ANYONE GREATER than John the baptist. (Matthew 11:11). Wow, it takes a second to gather in the magnitude of such a statement.
Yet, here we find John doubting Jesus - why? Well when Jesus first heard that John was in prison (Matt. 4:12), what do you think He did, first? Visited? Sent him a "Care Package?" Maybe sent him a cake with a file in it? Maybe the God in Him could break him out miraculously! After all, he does have that down pretty good.
So, what did he actually end up doing? "When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He withdrew to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, He went and lived in Capernaum..." (Matthew 4:12-13). Now we begin to see why John has doubted Jesus. It helps if you have a map of Israel to understand his predicament even better; but John had been ministering the stretch along the Jordan River where many powerful people and Kings opposed him. He was sent to a prison by King Herod which looked like a giant mole hill in the middle of a dry and arid land destitute from relief from the heat and seeing nothing but scorching sand and dirt, if he saw any at all.
Starved and destitute he was left alone. He was in the southern part of Israel, just east of the Israel border in Machaerus. While Jesus was In Nazareth In the Northern section of Israel, where He went even further away from John to the Northern section of Israel in a place with palm trees and a lake and beautiful weather; the place being Capernaum. So, John is desolate, and Jesus is at the beach with His boy's far, far away. That really paints a picture that John might discern as apathy and absence ,maybe even anger. He may be thinking "Not even a letter? a cake? or an air-conditioner?" Smile. But, Nope - Nada; Jesus was not moving toward involvement with John in the way he felt he needed to prove Jesus' resolve to him at the time.
This is where the disciples of John come in to ask the question to Jesus. And heres how Jesus responded: "Yes I am the One. I want you to tell him about all the things I'm doing -- for everyone else. Tell him about all the people I've healed. Tell him about how the blind now see, and how I have released people from prison (figuratively speaking) Smile. Tell him he can continue to believe in Me because of all the things I am doing -- for everyone else." And there inlays our common experience with John isn't it, in the season of dismay.
But the reason I delight in telling this story is the hope to encourage someone that no matter what our Machaerus experience is, Jesus still loves us. God knows our name and He loves us no less than His Son, nothing can separate us from His love; that Jesus has secured in the Atonement, and resurrection. John was loved in his in-between times; and He also loves us in our in-between times.
Jesus says a powerful statement of insightful prowess, when he says, "Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of Me." (Matthew 11:6).
Wow, that takes a second to sponge in doesn't it? In other words blessed is those people who don't interpret Jesus' silence as absence, apathy, or anger. Blessed are those who can't see Jesus' plan, yet stay faithful regardless of the temptation to use our self-awareness to calibrate an understanding of God's purposes in our lives (faithlessness).
Lazarus' story also gives us insight into the truth of our own situations. In the same area John the baptist used to baptize people, later in time there's a guy who runs up to Jesus and says, "Lord, the one You love is sick." (John 11:3). And of course he was talking about Lazarus. So based, even on his introduction how would you think Jesus would act? What would he do for Lazarus the one whom He loves? After all Jesus had healed many whom were not as close in relationship, certainly He would heal Lazarus right?
(John 11:5-6) tells us, "Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was two more days...." And I immediately say, "Wait what?!" And during this time all His core people got up and Jesus, says, sit down and relax. Reality would suggest Martha and her sister and Lazarus would be dismayed and angry, and in the case of reality they were. Lazarus got sicker and sicker, and he died; and Jesus knew his name. Jesus loved Lazarus and Martha and her sister. And for me, another "say what?" moment conspires to event itself.
We need to not confuse God's apparent absence for apathy. This leaves us confused, but, my goal is to show us a real category we have in our lives. That our unanswered prayers don't mean that God is not interested. We, along with Lazuras and Martha and her sister - have something in common. And from reading their stories we can reassert the fact that God is not absent, apathetic, or angry with us, and this despite the events witnessed in our circumstances, we must surrender our personalities to God trusting Him to build us up in Him and to limit us as He wills. Our seasons and walls of Spiritual growth are a gift from God. And our waiting on God, practically, can be one of the toughest faithful acts we must encounter in walking with Him. We must be encouraged that He loves us so.
I'll never be happy again - NOT TRUE! Nothing good can come from this! - NOT TRUE! There's no point in continuing! - NOT TRUE! May God restore and renew our Joy, and Hope, and anoint our purpose.
I can be happy again! Something good will come from this! There's a purpose to this pain, and I will receive it from God in His timing! I will put away my Witch hunt because I am in pain, and rest in knowing I am loved regardless of what is in front of me. May God richly Bless us all. (Sorry, I wrote so much).
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