The Journey to the Cross (Day 7 - DARKNESS and FEAR)


Imagine having spent the last three years of your life following around a man you believed was the Messiah.  A man who, just as Moses did with Pharaoh, would deliver your people once again from the oppressive rule of the government - in this case, the Romans...

Imagine seeing this deliverer, this Messiah, bloodied and beaten, stripped, and nailed to a cross...

Imagine watching him DIE.  No angels to save him.  No miraculous "bursting forth with righteous anger" to do what you thought he would do.

No.  

His death was the death of a criminal.  A traitor.

Imagine knowing the lengths the religious leaders of the day were willing to go to stop what they believed was an insurrection and blasphemy against the teachings of Moses...

Imagine your fear - knowing everyone had seen you WITH Jesus.  Following Him.  Being one of his disciples?

What do you feel?

Frightened?  Betrayed?  Foolish?  Despondent Hunted? 

John 20;19 says "On the evening of that first day of the week,...the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders."

The disciples were huddled together, in fear of their lives - because God hadn't acted in they way they'd expected, in the way they'd wanted!

Of course, now - we know this story has a turning point - but these poor men didn't know what we know.  At this point they believed they'd been WRONG.  ABOUT EVERYTHING!

This story reminds me that when we are afraid, and darkness threatens to envelop us, there are a few things we should remember.  The first, comes from Isaiah:  "'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord.  'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.'" - Isaiah 55:8-9

But more than that - there is THIS VERSE:  "Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." - Joshua 1:9

And finally, THIS ONE:  "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28

Friends, we must always remember - even when we’re facing down something frightening or difficult, that even if God doesn’t do the things we want, hope, or pray for; even if His timing is not what we would have chosen, God loves us, and He has a plan for us.  ♥️

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