HOW TO HANDLE FRUSTRATING CIRCUMSTANCES (Part II)
Your faith-walk involves a PROCESS which
does not always produce instantaneous results. That’s why Jesus Christ
declares “in your PATIENCE possess
ye your souls.” (Luke 21:19) Patience may be defined as the elapsed time
between an earthly cry and a heavenly response. Although
Jesus hastily lifted ‘Water-Walking-Peter’ from trouble-filled seas, perhaps
(to that desperate sinker) it felt more like an eternity while he was trapped
in a terrifying whirlpool of personal anguish and anxiety. Nevertheless, despite any notion to the contrary
in our human perspective, we serve a GOD who always shows up on time to
transform tragedy into triumph. That’s
why we will always wait (expectantly) on Him. David declared, “I waited
patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.” (Psalm
40:1)
When Jesus issued the directive, ‘Get in the ship and go on to the other
side,’ His disciples never hesitated. Hesitation is the equivalent of
doubt. They did not delay because numerous prior experiences produced a
knowledgeable confidence that it was reasonable and right to invest TOTAL TRUST IN THE MASTER.
What they did not know is that divine directives frequently require RISK and SACRIFICE. Nevertheless, our God clearly comforts us
ahead of any testing times: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with
thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when you walk
through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon
thee.” (Isaiah 43:2)
However, after our initial call, with its subsequent and inevitable
challenges, it is tempting to question whether we were ACTUALLY summoned and sent by God,
especially when we stand face-to-face with tenacious troubles. One’s thoughts go something like this: ‘Lord,
did you REALLY say I should get in that ship and go to the other side?
Was that YOU, or was that just my imagination working overtime?’
But since the Holy Spirit is a Comforter, He always breathes soothing and
stabilizing Words of life into the believer’s spirit. To wit, subsequent
to Peter’s trial-by-water, he penned these insights: “But the God of all grace,
who has called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have
suffered a while, will make you perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you.”
(I Peter 5:10) My friends, YOU WILL make it through the storm; your
perspective will change; your faith will be strengthened. The mere fact
that you may experience danger or detours along your journey does not
invalidate or nullify the original plan of God.
Faith in God’s eternal Word ultimately produces fulfillment within the context of time. But here’s the
rub: We do not know the precise ‘WHEN’ of
God’s timing; which is to say that our CHRONOS is never intimately acquainted
or precisely synchronized with God’s KAIROS. Stated more simply and in
the vernacular…‘GOD’S TIMING AIN’T
OURS!’ In our foundational scripture (Matthew 14:22-34),
there is what I call a ‘frustration gap’ between verse 22 and verse 34.
Jesus says “GO” in verse 22, and the disciples finally “LAND” in verse
34. Most assuredly, IT’S THE
IN-BETWEEN-STUFF that is the true trial of our faith. I smile
at myself whenever I testify confidently and enthusiastically (AFTER THE FACT) with the 20/20
vision of hindsight. But the truth is that there are times WHILE I’m
passing through troubled waters when I’m not sensing any ultimate measure of
victory.
There are several Kingdom principles in this scriptural passage that
should be highlighted.
Kingdom Principle Number One: WHEN
JESUS ISSUED THE COMMAND TO CROSS OVER, HE WENT UP ONTO THE MOUNTAIN TO PRAY. This
was surely a TARGETED PRAYER,
with the express purpose of undergirding the disciples for whatever challenges
they would confront while obeying Christ’s command. I love the fact that
JESUS CHRIST still serves as our INTERCESSORY HIGH PRIEST! Hebrews
4:14-15 informs and inspires us: “Seeing then that we have a great high priest,
that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our
profession. For we have not an high
priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in
all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” I Timothy 2:5
confirms this fact: “There is one God, and one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus.” His High Priestly function positions Him as our eternal
and effective advocate, so why should we worry? Think about it.
Jesus strongly advises against anxiety of any stripe, since Our Father is the
Supplier of ALL we will ever need. (Matthew 6:25-32 and Philippians 4:19) My
friend, never forget, G--O--D HAS YOUR BACK!
The next Kingdom principle is found in verse 24.
Kingdom Principle Number Two: WHEN
WE DECIDE TO LAUNCH-OUT-INTO-THE-DEEP, OUR OBEDIENCE BECOMES A
MOMENT-OF-MANIFESTATION, ALBEIT VIA BUFFETING WAVES AND CONTRARY WINDS. One
of my friends is an excellent sailor, and he tells me that every proficient
sailor lives in expectation of robust and hearty winds. Indeed, smooth
and polished seas are a death-knell to sailing forward with power. Therefore,
contrary winds do not come to break you; they show up for the express purpose
of MAKING YOU, i.e. mobilizing you
to GO and GROW! God reconfigures tempestuous winds, divinely transforming
them into GUSTS OF DUNAMIS (vigorous
spiritual power) to move you forward with passion and purpose. So, stop
cursing prevailing winds, and start blessing them with fervent prayer and
faith-filled praise. (James 5:16) These are the unseen and unexpected vehicles
that carry you THROUGH your tests and INTO your destiny. Stay tuned…more to come tomorrow!
No comments:
Post a Comment