Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for your Peace!
If you had been standing beside Jesus that day looking out over Jerusalem and asked Him when He said this, "Lord, what would have made for their peace?", I think He would have said something along the lines of , "Believe in Me, Trust in Me, and Trust in the Processes."
The rejection of Him as the awaited Messiah were along those lines. Who He was, How He came, and the Processes He had chosen to use once He did come. The rejection of Him today are along those same lines. Even the most mature believers, can be tested severely along these lines. And He still says, "If you had known this day the things that make for your peace! Trust Me, Trust How I am coming in your life, and Trust in the Processes!"
The processes God was using were difficult for young Joseph. He had had many dreams, maybe wondering if soon they would be fulfilled. Instead he found himself on a terror filled day inches from his life being taken at the hands of his murderous brothers. For 20 years He sat in the pain and horror of that day, taken from Benjamin and His beloved Father, his dreams, continuing to have to face the rejection and hatred his brothers had shown. All with no answer, and no word, day, by day, by day, by years.
Life can be very painful. It can throw us into some horrible enigmas. Life was incredibly horrible and painful also for the Jews of Jesus' day. Not to mention shameful! Here they were God's chosen people, facing this incredibly painful oppression and occupation of pagan Rome. Where was God? Weren't they His people? Why wasn't He intervening? Where was the expected deliverance? "God, please God, give us a sign!"
They had big expectations for their awaited Messiah. And when Jesus came He wasn't it. They had no patience or time for a Messiah that was going to come like this. They had no patience or time for the processes. They rejected the revealing of God's plans and His means for their current situation. They rejected in that day what would have made for their peace. And they crucified Him.
Dear child of God do you find yourself today in some painful enigma? Are you bewildered and perplexed at the processes? Do you find it unacceptable that the awaited Messiah could ever be mixed up in anything like this? Perhaps years have gone by like they had in Young Joseph's life. And yet still no word. Are you still trusting in Him? Are you trusting in the processes?
For the few who did believe everything was shattered the day they crucified Him. They scattered everywhere and hid themselves in dark painful corners. Do you not feel the sadness and bewilderment in their hearts that day? Everything seemed to vanish right before their eyes. They had walked with Him. They had looked into His very eyes. They had seen all that He had done. And now this. Walk with them on the road to Emmaus and feel their bewildering pain. "We had hoped, we had hoped, but have you not heard the things that have happened?" They were dark painful times. They were dark painful processes. But they are going to soon learn, that there are things even there that make for their peace. It was going to take time. But He was going to show them that He was in the processes all the time.
Should I mention David, hiding in caves from a deranged king, and drooling in his beard in a pagan land feigning madness? Should I mention Abraham and Sarah in the agonizing fourteen years, the breakdown of faith, and the birth of Ishmael when the promise seemed not to come? Should I mention the great prophet Elijah, running for his life in fear, feeling he had failed, that he was the only one left, wishing his life would come to an end? Should I mention Peter, hiding in the shadows, hearing the rooster crow, terrified of even a little girl, swearing he never knew the man.
For Joseph, one day he would look up and see his brothers come riding into town. He would remember the dreams. And in some years he would see them all fulfilled. He would later say, to his brothers, "You meant it for evil but God meant it for good." He would look out one day and see it all for what it was. He would see the processes. He would see the hand of God in it all. For David He would become King. For Abraham and Sarah a son would be born. They would name him Isaac. For Elijah He would learn he wasn't alone, God's plan would go on, Elisha would be anointed and he would be taken up. For Peter, the upper room would come, the Holy Spirit would fall, He would step out from the shadows of his pain, and he himself would boldly proclaim the name of Jesus, and thousands would come to know their Lord.
Our healing will only come as we begin to accept the way Jesus decides to come and work in our life, and the processes in which He uses to bring us to His ends. As you can see even His most faithful trusted servants have been tested to the uttermost by these very means. It is comforting to know that even they have had their setbacks at time. God doesn't berate them over the coals. He gently restores them and shows them the way.
So if you find yourself on the road to Emmaus today, even if you have been on this road a very long time. And you are wondering what it all means? Why did my life have to turn out the way it did? I had thought. I had hoped for. But look at all this. Why has He allowed these things to come? Everything seemed so promising once. Everything seemed so fresh and full of hope. Now this. Now all these things, all of this history. Surely this can't be the way the Messiah comes.
Perhaps today, even today, Jesus will pull up beside you along that road, turn to you and smile and say, "Be of good cheer, what things have you been discussing with yourself?" And you will tell Him all the pains and the things you had hoped for, but, "Now all of these things have happened." And then your heart will burn within you. You will plead with Him to stay. You will break bread together. And suddenly He will open your eyes. You will see the processes. You will understand it all. Isaac will come. The Holy Spirt will fall. The crown of life will be given. The dreams will be fulfilled. You will see you are not all alone and you never were. You will suddenly see His hand in it all. You will see that even this He has meant it for your good. You will see this day the things that make for your peace. And You will smile. You will Get up on your feet. You will Take His hand. And you will go on.
Luke 19:42
If you had been standing beside Jesus that day looking out over Jerusalem and asked Him when He said this, "Lord, what would have made for their peace?", I think He would have said something along the lines of , "Believe in Me, Trust in Me, and Trust in the Processes."
The rejection of Him as the awaited Messiah were along those lines. Who He was, How He came, and the Processes He had chosen to use once He did come. The rejection of Him today are along those same lines. Even the most mature believers, can be tested severely along these lines. And He still says, "If you had known this day the things that make for your peace! Trust Me, Trust How I am coming in your life, and Trust in the Processes!"
The processes God was using were difficult for young Joseph. He had had many dreams, maybe wondering if soon they would be fulfilled. Instead he found himself on a terror filled day inches from his life being taken at the hands of his murderous brothers. For 20 years He sat in the pain and horror of that day, taken from Benjamin and His beloved Father, his dreams, continuing to have to face the rejection and hatred his brothers had shown. All with no answer, and no word, day, by day, by day, by years.
Life can be very painful. It can throw us into some horrible enigmas. Life was incredibly horrible and painful also for the Jews of Jesus' day. Not to mention shameful! Here they were God's chosen people, facing this incredibly painful oppression and occupation of pagan Rome. Where was God? Weren't they His people? Why wasn't He intervening? Where was the expected deliverance? "God, please God, give us a sign!"
They had big expectations for their awaited Messiah. And when Jesus came He wasn't it. They had no patience or time for a Messiah that was going to come like this. They had no patience or time for the processes. They rejected the revealing of God's plans and His means for their current situation. They rejected in that day what would have made for their peace. And they crucified Him.
Dear child of God do you find yourself today in some painful enigma? Are you bewildered and perplexed at the processes? Do you find it unacceptable that the awaited Messiah could ever be mixed up in anything like this? Perhaps years have gone by like they had in Young Joseph's life. And yet still no word. Are you still trusting in Him? Are you trusting in the processes?
For the few who did believe everything was shattered the day they crucified Him. They scattered everywhere and hid themselves in dark painful corners. Do you not feel the sadness and bewilderment in their hearts that day? Everything seemed to vanish right before their eyes. They had walked with Him. They had looked into His very eyes. They had seen all that He had done. And now this. Walk with them on the road to Emmaus and feel their bewildering pain. "We had hoped, we had hoped, but have you not heard the things that have happened?" They were dark painful times. They were dark painful processes. But they are going to soon learn, that there are things even there that make for their peace. It was going to take time. But He was going to show them that He was in the processes all the time.
Should I mention David, hiding in caves from a deranged king, and drooling in his beard in a pagan land feigning madness? Should I mention Abraham and Sarah in the agonizing fourteen years, the breakdown of faith, and the birth of Ishmael when the promise seemed not to come? Should I mention the great prophet Elijah, running for his life in fear, feeling he had failed, that he was the only one left, wishing his life would come to an end? Should I mention Peter, hiding in the shadows, hearing the rooster crow, terrified of even a little girl, swearing he never knew the man.
For Joseph, one day he would look up and see his brothers come riding into town. He would remember the dreams. And in some years he would see them all fulfilled. He would later say, to his brothers, "You meant it for evil but God meant it for good." He would look out one day and see it all for what it was. He would see the processes. He would see the hand of God in it all. For David He would become King. For Abraham and Sarah a son would be born. They would name him Isaac. For Elijah He would learn he wasn't alone, God's plan would go on, Elisha would be anointed and he would be taken up. For Peter, the upper room would come, the Holy Spirit would fall, He would step out from the shadows of his pain, and he himself would boldly proclaim the name of Jesus, and thousands would come to know their Lord.
Our healing will only come as we begin to accept the way Jesus decides to come and work in our life, and the processes in which He uses to bring us to His ends. As you can see even His most faithful trusted servants have been tested to the uttermost by these very means. It is comforting to know that even they have had their setbacks at time. God doesn't berate them over the coals. He gently restores them and shows them the way.
So if you find yourself on the road to Emmaus today, even if you have been on this road a very long time. And you are wondering what it all means? Why did my life have to turn out the way it did? I had thought. I had hoped for. But look at all this. Why has He allowed these things to come? Everything seemed so promising once. Everything seemed so fresh and full of hope. Now this. Now all these things, all of this history. Surely this can't be the way the Messiah comes.
Perhaps today, even today, Jesus will pull up beside you along that road, turn to you and smile and say, "Be of good cheer, what things have you been discussing with yourself?" And you will tell Him all the pains and the things you had hoped for, but, "Now all of these things have happened." And then your heart will burn within you. You will plead with Him to stay. You will break bread together. And suddenly He will open your eyes. You will see the processes. You will understand it all. Isaac will come. The Holy Spirt will fall. The crown of life will be given. The dreams will be fulfilled. You will see you are not all alone and you never were. You will suddenly see His hand in it all. You will see that even this He has meant it for your good. You will see this day the things that make for your peace. And You will smile. You will Get up on your feet. You will Take His hand. And you will go on.
