Today I have been blown away!
This is not the normal blown away, this is the blown away that comes straight from God because from the outside looking in, it’s pretty hard to see.
This month our ministry was teaching computer classes to students who were taking part in a two week intensive Bible school. Our class lasted about two hours tops and was only once a day.
I am already computer-challenged and it’s pretty hard to teach typing when I personally type with two fingers, maybe four if I try to get fancy.
I still had fun joking around with the students but I quickly realized that this ministry was not designed for me. And guess what, that’s totally fine! God made me in a very specific way as a very unique person. And He still had many things to teach me this month.
First off, He removed distractions. Unfortunately the “motherboard” of my cute little pink laptop crashed (whatever that means) so I can’t fill my enormous amount of free time watching “How I Met Your Mother” or “Boy Meets World”.
Secondly, He taught me all about spending quality time with Him last month. I had plenty of time to continue these crucial one-on-ones with Him that bring me so much joy and comfort in knowing how close He truly is to me.
And lastly, He put a great book into my hands. I was walking around the house and spotted this gem on the shelf. It is called “Just Like Jesus” by Max Lucado. I am usually not a big reader but wow, did God use this tool to blow me away.
He has used this book a lot this month that I actually read it twice (that never happens) but today specifically I was filled with emotion. I was brought to the horrible realization of what Jesus actually experienced the night that He was killed. What stunned me even more was His relentless endurance and love for me.
Do you actually understand what Jesus faced that night? Let’s begin with His prayer. He was in the garden talking to His Father asking if there was any way that He would “remove this cup”. In Jesus’ most vulnerable moment where He was literally sweating drops like blood, He experienced unanswered prayer! His Father did not give Jesus what He prayed for. This is only the beginning of what He suffered.
Next Judas came. In John 18:3 it says that he came with a “group of soldiers”. He used the word “speira”. Lucado describes that this word in the Greek depicts a group of anywhere between 200-1900 soldiers! This rocked my world! This was a huge group of people with swords and clubs who came to take Jesus away. Can you imagine how He must have felt? A week ago these masses were singing “Hosanna”, but now not a one would speak up for him.
Lastly, He was betrayed by His disciples. Matthew 26:56 says, “All of Jesus’ followers left him and ran away.” He was betrayed by ALL of them. These were His best friends! He lived life with these men for three straight years. He put up with their selfishness and lack of trust and lack of faith. And now, in this horrible moment, they fled. They ran away from Him and left Him all alone.
Jesus had plenty of reasons to say ‘forget this’ or ‘you people are on your own’ but He didn’t! Lucado put it perfectly when he said, “Jesus chose to see his immediate struggle as a necessary part of a greater plan.” Wow, He decided that it was worth it to Him. He would go through all this pain and suffering for me and for you!
So like I said, I am blown away. I have known this story my whole life but I haven’t seen it quite like this. The next time I don’t hear an answer from God or the next time I feel rejected or betrayed, I can be confident that my Jesus knows how I feel. He has been there, He went there for me. He had it way worse than me. So yes I did not teach a single computer class this month, but man am I thankful that God had this revelation in store for me!
