Blessings one and all
I trust you are well, and for my Jamaican cohort, you have survived the initial onslaught of hurricane Matthew. For the others of us, I pray our continued strength to overcome life’s storms through Jesus Christ, our navigator and our Peace.
Here’s today’s Holy Nougat™
“And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me, except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. Acts of the Apostles 20:22-23 NLT
Seems like we’ve been digesting some special morsels recently. Between Abel’s murder and Paul’s conviction that he was in for a season of suffering, one might argue that the choice for Jesus isn’t always easy.
How do we respond to cross-bearing and seasons of suffering or unwarranted persecution? Are we open to the Holy Spirit’s leading when we KNOW that rough seas lie ahead?
Perhaps, knowing the details of the story, we choose to dance rather than walk on water; fully focused on our dance partner who is the One who KEEPS us from falling.
Possibly, we’re checking Jesus’s vitals (through prayer), because he’s sleeping during the tempest! If so, we ought to jog our memories – He STILL has dominion over the waves.
Maybe it is we’re trapped in the issues of the past (some 38+ uses), and the angel hasn’t troubled the waters of change.
Or, worse yet, we’re stuck in a dead end situation, where what had been positioned as a roaring, raging river is nothing more than a dry brook where that which we disdain (carrion/John Crow/Cobeh) is now our support.
And, perhaps we dance in light of the memory that the ultimate enemy of our souls has ALREADY BEEN conquered! Hallelujah! In which case, the suffering we face now is of little consequence, for God’s got a plan. And ALL things will be beneficial to us who are God’s called, even those who love the Lord.
So let the cold winds blow
Let the storms flow all around
We trust in you – Shepherd of OUR hearts!
In Christ
