Bad Trip

Have you ever planned a trip & it ended up not going quite like you expected? Perhaps your favorite restaurant was closed, the hotel was not what you thought, or the weather was terrible the whole time. It left you feeling less than satisfied with the experience and with resolutions to travel differently the next time.

Joseph and Mary, the parents of Jesus, can definitely relate to that type of experience. They had gone to Joseph's hometown for a census and found themselves without a place to stay and having child born in a barn. John Piper (pastor & author) described their situation by saying, "A stable was not where Joseph wanted to be that night. It held no romance for him. He was there out of desperation." 

The interesting twist is what Joseph perceived as desperation was actually a necessary part of God's plan for salvation. It was only in the humble beginnings of a stable that the story of God coming to save us could have its earthly start. Joseph was left with his only alternative in a difficult situation and it was the perfect way to welcome a humble Savior. 

What desperate situations in our own lives are an opportunity for God to show His plan in action? Do we trust Him enough to deliver us when our reservoir of hope seems to be empty? These are the moments when our need is overmatched by His provision if we are open to receiving it.

D & D

I've said many times before that we seek God out of desperation or devastation. One is a reflection of a deep, passionate desire for God that overwhelms us and drives us to seek Him above all other things. The other creates the same result, but stems from terrible circumstances that drive us back to Him. Disastrous life circumstances can certainly lead to desperation, but I would rather choose to seek Him on my own before those tumultuous periods of life occur. I've discovered that choosing to be desperate for God eases the times of devastation and increases my daily dependence on His strength.

Which one of these best describes your interaction with God? Are we normally inclined to relentlessly pursue Him out of our normal relationship or do we wait for difficulty to strike before we turn to the one true hope? Hopefully we'll learn to desire desperation for Him in every aspect of our life and not follow a pattern of ignoring Him until devastation strikes. 

Searching for Hope

We were in Arizona this past week working on the Apache reservation with an incredible crew of 13 dedicated people. We spent one afternoon on the Blue Bus picking kids up in the Dark Shadows community of the reservation. The name alone reveals some of the characteristics of this particular location--it's a place that feels heavy spiritually. The surrounding scenery is breath-taking, but the living environments are much rougher. It feels as if there is an oppressive spiritual blanket that dims the light in the neighborhood and presses down on your shoulders. The playground we park at has broken pieces of equipment and is littered with trash and empty liquor bottles. The drug dealers walk around the playground while we are there (only during daylight hours--I wouldn't go there after dark) as if to remind us that the park belongs to them and that we are there by their grace alone.

As we were packing up to leave at the end of our playtime I saw a women helping a young 4-5 year old boy take off his roller blades. Her face was mostly hidden by her hoodie and hair while she worked to help her son change into his shoes. I assumed that she had walked down to take him home (as often happens) until members of our team made it clear that she was obviously high and incapable of taking care of him. While we were momentarily unsure if we needed to intervene, the boy ran after his mother as she walked away to give her a hug before coming back to our bus so we could take him home.

My wife was able to see this woman's face and recognized that things were in worse shape than we realized. This mother was very strung out and on a pathway that will most likely lead to her death. At the same time there was a depth of sorrow in her eyes that revealed her love for her son and her understanding that he is lost to her forever. In the act of changing his shoes she was able to step away from the fog of the drugs running through her body and simply act as his mother. It was a desperate act of clinging to something normal when her entire world is entangled in the addictive power that will take her life. She was searching for a moment of normalcy in an abnormal existence and managed to gain it even if only for a few moments. It was a heart wrenching glimpse into a life that is desperate to be saved and yet unwilling (or unable) to cry out for help. This momentary motherly duty was a hint of the life that she and her son could have had. The pain in her face revealed that she knew this while her son only knew that his mom was walking away again, but he was thrilled to have her even for this brief time. 

It was a peek into the sad existence of someone who has lost all hope and is clinging to the last vestiges of who she might have been. It was a heart-breaking insight into a culture where the loss of hope is more frequent than it should be. 

God Remembers

In the book of Exodus, God's people are being oppressed by the Egyptians and life has become unbearable. It tells us that the people cried out to God, He heard their groaning, and remembered His covenant with their ancestors. It was their faithfulness in turning to Him that brought Him to step into action.

What do we do when our lives seem unbearable? Do we complain about how unfairly we are being treated? Do we point fingers at other people and try to place blame on anyone who enters our radar? How much energy do we waste writing vitriolic posts online? None of these things actually make the situation better. We'd be much better off genuinely & desperately seeking God and allowing Him to do what He sees is best. I can say with authority that God hasn't forgotten His people, but perhaps it's time for us to call on Him with more passion.

Searching

In John 6, Jesus has fed thousands of people with a sack lunch and then walked on water during the night to head to Capernaum. The next day some people show up on the side of the lake where Jesus had been and realize that He is not there. Scripture tells us that they then got back in their boats and went to the other side of the lake to look for Jesus and the disciples.

The persistence of these people in searching for Jesus is significant. They had heard about Him, the miracles He was performing and the truth He was teaching and were desperate to experience it. When they arrived where they thought He was and found that He was gone they didn't give up. They continued to search in the next place in hopes of finding Him.

I admire their tenacity and willingness to make an effort to find Christ. It is an example for us to do the same today. We can't simply show up on a Sunday/Wednesday and then walk away disappointed that it wasn't a mountain-top experience. I think we too often sit back with an attitude of "show me Jesus" and then criticize when it doesn't happen. The responsibility lies with each of us to search for Him with fervor and passion and to be committed to searching with all our hearts to find Him.

Maybe we don't seek for Him with all our hearts because unlike the crowd in Scripture, we don't really want to find Him.