Easter was a few weeks ago now but I know that the story of Easter happens all the time in each of our lives. God asks us to do something specific or we read in the Bible that we should have more patience, joy, love etc and we really want those things in our hearts but…… A stumbling block comes and we find ourselves as Jesus did that night before in a garden praying ” not my will God but yours be done”. ” Lord we want to grow more like Jesus everyday but this is so painful – the enemy’s onslaught is seeming never to end and I feel like God is it even worth it to keep trying”. The answer is always yes but how do we get from the garden, through the grave and onto the resurrection and still remain in one piece.
This is a journey we all need to take in every aspect of our lives. I believe the keys are found in what Jesus did. They are:
1. Jesus ran to God and not to man. His disciples were with Him but because they didn’t walk in Jesus’ shoes, they didn’t understand either the gravity of the situation or couldn’t understand what He was going through. The same with our friends and family sometimes. They can offer us support but only Jesus knows what we really are going through and what it feels like. We need to run to Jesus.
2. Jesus surrendered to the will of God. He said not my will but yours God. We need to surrender to the will of God which is His Word. God’s Word is our map for life. Whatever we need is in there and all the answers to every challenge we face. Once we have run to God, He tells us what to do and it is always for our good. Life will not always be easy – trouble will come- but when we walk with God, we are never alone and never without answers.
3. Jesus was obedient to the will of God. Once we know what God’s Word says about our challenge, we must obey it. We obey the Word by believing and then doing. Sometimes, God tells us to do things we might find strange. For example, forgive and you will be forgiven. It is hard to forgive someone but God knows that when we forgive, we break the bondage that the other person holds us in. It is for our benefit. What about give and it will be given. That seems to fly in the face of logic. Our logic is save and we will get rich but God says give and then we will get. Giving opens the door for the blessing of God on our finances.
4. Jesus was rewarded and rescued by God. Once, we have the above in our hearts, God will reward us by answering our prayers, making us more like Jesus and causing us to grow in grace, love etc to make our character stronger. The reward is not always monetary but is always a blessing.
So today if you are going through a dark time, remember that the resurrection always comes. We just need to go through those valleys sometimes. So put your hand in God’s hand and walk through your journey. You are becoming stronger, growing in grace and living the amazing life God intended for you.
Living the life God intended 