Day 72
Release Circumstances
I know your works.
Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I
know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not
denied my name.
Revelation 3:8
~~~
|
T
|
he Old
Testament account of Gideon tells us of a man with a total lack of confidence
in his ability to accomplish the task the Lord sets before him. Gideon
does not respond in a heroic way when the angel calls him to lead Israel
against the Midianites. He first takes exception to the supernatural
greeting by questioning the angel's statement "the Lord is with you."
"...if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to
us?" Gideon asks.[i]
It seems that a holy fear of the Creator of the Universe ought to tell us
it is best not to say or do the things Gideon proceeds to say and do, but the
Lord reads hearts, and Gideon's questions and subsequent comments must have
come from a sincere heart. It just really doesn't look to him as though God's
presence is with the Israelites, because they have been having such a horrid
time. He's polite, but he really wants to know for certain that he is
hearing God's voice. Gideon is the least of his clan and is not
over-brimming with confidence, but God is very gracious to him. "Go
in the strength you have," says the Lord.[ii]
God's first directive to Gideon is that he must throw down the altars of
Baal. Matthew Henry's concise commentary says, "It was needful he
(Gideon) make peace with God before making war on Midian." If we have
issues with God over the ways He has allowed our lives to unfold, we have
spiritual work to do before we make war on the sin that has oppressed us.
Throwing down the altars we hold to the world's values needs to come
ahead of any effort toward improving exercise and diet habits. In truth,
Christians aren't ever to seek self-improvement; we are to seek that God be honored
in our physical bodies. We don't endeavor to lose weight for the sake of
our appearance, pride, or even health, but so that God may be glorified. The
first portion of this freedom journey has been about knocking down altars of
pride, unforgiveness, and judgmentalism. It's been about clarifying the
answers to some ongoing questions: "If you are with me, Lord, why
have these things happened to me?" We need to affirm our trust and
hope in the Lord, despite how our circumstances may appear.
Such an affirmation brings tears as we release the Almighty God from
accountability to our human perspectives and desires. We affirm that we trust
Him despite the way things look to us. We cry because we wanted a happily ever
after of our own making, and remember that Jesus also wept.[iii] We
have a Savior who empathizes with our grief, but we must move beyond our tears
to focus upon what He has done for us. Jesus forged a pathway for us to pass
through death rather than become entrapped by it. He bore the grief and
sin of the world and took our sins upon Himself, so that we, having died to
sin, can live with Him. The suffering of our Savior has purchased eternity
for us: everlasting joy in His presence.
We should never leave
our prayer time still hindered by sorrow; that's why it is important to stay in
His healing presence until we've poured out our hearts, and yes, our tears. We
must linger until we have received His healing balm as an exchange for
grief, because it is our freedom that attracts others to Christ with a hunger
for what we have. Because of what Christ has done, we can leave our tears
at the foot of His throne.
Pray: Father,
let Your Name be glorified in my life. I know You are with me, I know You
have gone before me; please grant me strength. I trust You. I trust
that You are in control of all the circumstances of my life, and that Your
decisions for me are governed by Your perfect love. I release my circumstances
to You. I will follow where You lead, trusting to Your knowledge and not my own.[iv] Amen.
~~~
You
have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in your bottle…
Psalm 56:8
For
the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead
them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from
their eyes.
Revelation 7:17 KJV
No comments:
Post a Comment