I got it, I got it, I got it…. I ain’t got it!

There are times in my life when I think, “I GOT this!” God says something to me in such a way that things just seem so CLEAR and I wonder how I missed it before! Then, things don’t go quite the way I thought they would and I wonder… what the heck happened? I ain’t got this after all… or I lost it or something?? Did I really “have it” to begin with?

The disciples lived, ate, slept and traveled with Jesus for three years and THEY didn't get it. “IT” being what Jesus came for. They had in their mind what their “Messiah” would do and how he would do it.  They were looking for Jesus to be a warrior king, like David. Someone who would rally the troops, gather the people together and come against the Romans and lead them in a rebellion! Then, they imagined, Jesus would sit on the “earthly” throne and rule them like all the other kings Israel has had before. Right? And of course, when all this took place, they themselves would have positions of honor! Oh yeah! (Matthew 20:20, Luke 9:46-47 and Luke 22:24)

Poor Peter was so ready to fight for this ideal that he kept tripping over himself and making a fool of himself when Jesus would do something completely different than what he expected. He was so amped up in the garden he even cut off someone’s ear trying to protect, defend and fight for Jesus’ reign.

This is a great scripture to show how the disciples didn't really get who he was! “Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" (Mark 4:38-41) They were astonished at what Jesus did and asked “who is this!?” They had the creator of the universe in the boat with them and they didn't even know it!

Are we in that same boat?

Oswald Chambers’ September 5 devotional has some powerful words on this subject:

“…Stay here and keep watch with me” (Matthew 26:38) “…Our Lord is trying to introduce us to identification with Himself through a particular "Gethsemane" experience of our own. But we refuse to go, saying, "No, Lord, I can't see the meaning of this, and besides, it's very painful." And how can we possibly watch with someone who is so incomprehensible? How are we going to understand Jesus sufficiently to watch with Him in His Gethsemane, when we don't even know why He is suffering? We don't know how to watch with Him --- we are only used to the idea of Jesus watching with us.

The disciples loved Jesus Christ to the limit of their natural capacity, but they did not fully understand His purpose. In the Garden of Gethsemane they slept as a result of their own sorrow, and at the end of three years of the closest and most intimate relationship of their lives they "all . . . forsook Him and fled" (Matthew 26:56)…”

Are we in that same garden?

John the Baptist was an amazing man. He prepared the way for Jesus, telling everyone to “get ready” for the one who is to come… “Repent and be baptized!!” He seemed so unwavering and confident in Jesus through it all until he was imprisoned. After a few days in that prison cell, he sent someone to ask "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" (Matthew 11:3) I can picture him in his cell thinking, “If Jesus Is who I think He is, why the heck isn’t he getting me out of here!!” I know I would!

Are we in that same cell?

You would think that his family would have some clue as to who he was but not even his

brothers understood. You would think that Mary would have said something to help them out!!  At one point they kind of mocked him saying “You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world. For even his own brothers did not believe in him". (John 7:3-5) They didn't really believe he was the Son of God, they thought he wanted to become a “public figure” and be a world famous miracle worker!

Are we that same family member?

The Pharisees, Priests, & Teachers of the Law all studied the Scriptures diligently (John 5:39-40) so that they would know the Messiah when he came, yet they could not recognize Jesus as the One when he was right in front of them demonstrating God’s power. They also were expecting the Messiah to come as a conquering King, to restore Israel’s glory. When he didn’t meet their expectations, they got so mad at him, they had him killed (which of course was God’s plan all along).

Are we that religious person?

Are we open to hearing ANYTHING from God? Are we willing to accept ANYTHING that He is doing in our lives regardless of how it looks to us, or others? Will we be obedient to ANY command He gives us even if it doesn't fit our doctrines or beliefs? Or better yet, will we be ok with Him NOT doing something we believed He would do, even if we have all the right scriptures to back it up? Will we allow Him to be God in our life or will we tell Him that He MUST do things our way? We get locked into a certain pattern of expectations of what, how, and when God is supposed to do things and get angry and disillusioned when He doesn’t meet them. I think most, if not all the time, I ain’t got it!

In all the situations listed above, the common denominator seems to be the desire to control their circumstances… Being a “control freak” I can relate to this!! This makes me think of one of Tom’s funny analogies. He says we try to put a steering wheel on a roller-coaster, frantically gripping the wheel, turning it back and forth, and hoping to gain control of the car even though it is on rails. LOL! That pretty much describes what we do, doesn't it?! Our lives are in the best hands ever, even better than “roller coaster rails”, but we still feel the need and try to control the ride. We can do that, or we could trust God, (who makes NO mistakes and has taken everything into consideration) and just throw our arms in the air and enjoy the ride, hooting and hollering as loud as we can, with joy :)

Are we on that ride?

Lord, my heart truly desires to throw my hands up in the air, trusting You and Your control of my life, no matter what it looks like. Please give me the courage to let go of the wheel, and enjoy the ride! With all my love, Linda :)