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We have a friend in Jesus
Saturday, December 5, 2015
First Week of Advent
Matthew 9:35-36
Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. His heart was moved with pity by the crowds, because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.
Here’s a good way to say something true: the devil knows my name and calls me by my sin. God knows my sin and calls me by my name. Aphorisms come in handy sometimes, especially when I’m confused by who God is and who the devil is.
Not just when I’m looking at others, of course. In me, who am I? Am I wrestling with God or cuddling up with the devil?
I am troubled and abandoned – some days I wander around making decisions like a sheep without a shepherd, often without direction, often without concern for others. Not all day every day. But sometimes I am so self-centered.
And so were the men and women in those crowds who followed Jesus. But here’s what I love about Jesus. He didn’t get impatient nearly as often as he felt compassion. He knew those folks had brought at least some of their troubles on themselves. Still, he didn’t say, “Get a job!” Or “Go back to your own country!”
Jesus said to them, “Come unto me, all of you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
He didn’t heal some. He healed EVERY disease and illness. There were no forms to fill out first. Jesus knew each one of those sick folks better than they knew themselves. So they didn’t have to be interviewed by the disciples. This season was not just for the faithful. It was for everyone.
When we pray for our family and friends, it is true, often they are not healed. Why? Don’t know. Job’s friends have a few answers, none of them right. God was in charge of things when Jesus healed everyone, and God is in charge now when healing comes less often.
So can I still believe that prayer changes things, even if healing evades me or looks different than I think it will? As I pray and listen to Jesus in my mind and my imagination, he becomes my friend. Just as Deb prayed for me at church the other day, the weakness I think about too much is Not In Charge. No, that would be Jesus.
What a friend.
All my sins and grief to bear, what a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer. Let the days come, Lord, when you do not hide yourself but your voice sounds in my ear, “This is the way, walk in it.”
http://www.christiancounselingservice.com/archived_devotions.php?article_id=1401
