Tonight, a dear friend of mine was obedient to God.
Because of his obedience, and because God is always faithful, water was driven out of a rock.
The rock was me.
Recently, for a longer period of time than I would like to admit, I have been very angry with God. Put quite simply, I have been angry with Him because my life is not going the way I think it should --either for me or for His glory. More on this in my last post entitled, "Immovable."
This evening, in the span of about 1 1/2 hours this extreme anger and selfishness was assaulted by the Word of God. Ironically, something that has been within my reach the whole time --but I just couldn't be bothered with it. Ever been there?
----The Triumphant Entry: Jesus enters Jerusalem--Luke 19:29-44---
"29As he (Jesus) approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30"Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.' "
32Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?"
34They replied, "The Lord needs it."
35They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.
37When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"[b]
"Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
39Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"
40"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."
41As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you."
In verse 45, Jesus continues on and clears out the temple.
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These verses are screaming new meaning as I type this. I see so much more than I saw before.
- Jesus knows of a colt and can direct His disciples on exactly what needs to be done with it. --With relationship to our hearts, Jesus knows the situation, and the dynamic duo of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God are equipped to take down any type of adversity your heart has to offer.
- People spread their cloaks along the road, and the disciples shout aloud these extremely heretical statements praising Jesus as the one that is to come. Put yourself in this situation. Are you getting a glimpse of the picture?
- Pharisees feebly attempt to stand in the way by voicing dispute and claiming blasphemy on the part of the disciples for praising Jesus and proclaiming Him King. Jesus responds to their folly by saying, "I tell you, if they keep quiet even the stones will cry out." --
This is a moment of magnitude. Creation can barely contain itself. I can see rocks shuttering ready to burst praise to their creator any moment should the praising stop. They tremble simply at the presence of the one true God. The assurance of our loving Father's design and desire for us is being made known through the God-man named Jesus.
- Jesus weeps for the city. The disobedience impacts Him. Even though He has come to save. He has come to reconcile and put the story right...the disobedience hurts Jesus. These people do not know Him. They do not recognize Him for who He is. He is the carpenter from Galilee, Joseph's son, Mary's boy...but no Messiah.
- Jesus enters the city, goes to the temple and cleans house on the things that are not of God. -- He desires the same thing with regards to us; and sometimes he does it through the obedience of another.
Moses, from what I recall, has 2 encounters with 2 different rocks in the desert. The first encounter, Moses simply speaks at God's command, and water gushes forth from the rock. The second time, He is instructed to speak to the rock and instead strikes it twice with his staff. Water still comes out - but that costs Moses entering into the promise land.
(See also Psalm 78)
The point is:
God produces something life-giving out of something that is not alive.
Colossians 2:13-14
"13When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature,[a] God made you[b] alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross."
Ephesians 2:1-10
" 1As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
There is no explanation of what happened tonight other than the power of God. For months I have been breaking apart at the seams and what is left has been hardening toward God. Yet, in the presence of God and with the hearing of the Word of Truth I started to say things that mattered. I found myself speaking about God positively and to encourage others from out of nowhere. The truth broke me open and poured me out.
This part is important. You need to know that I was sure I was broken. What I mean by this is that I convinced myself that I was broken beyond repair and that God did not care to restore me. Convinced that my existence was optional and that God would do nothing special with me. Convinced that I was not a thought in God's mind anymore; all despite the fact that I knew better.
Praise God that He saw fit to send help to me --
For more see:
- Romans 12:1-2
- Matthew 17:14-21
- Romans 5
