wait for it…

Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the Lord. Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, but I blessed him and made him many. For the Lord will comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste places, and will make her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song. (Isaiah 51:1-3, NRSV)

When we seek the Lord and follow Him our lives are automatically sunshine and roses, right?

No! We know that life does not work that way. Just because we are in a relationship with the author and creator of the universe does not mean that we do not know pain, or suffering. We still are alive here in this world and therefore our sinfulness and humanness are a part of the picture.

But God does promise that there are blessings in store for us, if we follow and wait for it. Good things come to those who wait, and the blessing we will get from God will be well worth the wait.

So wait for it… wait for it…

Lost

‘Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven. What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost. (Matthew 18:10-14, NRSV)

Are the sheep that are in the fold in danger? They could be but there is safety in numbers. Now yes a wolf could come in and scare a group and get a sheep. But the idea here is that Jesus cares for those who have left the fold and are searching for greener pastures.

He cares for the wanderer so much that He is willing to leave the fold on the mountain and go searching for the one that is lost. He will risk everything, in fact He already did. He gave His life for the lost sheep…

So we can not despise or look down upon those who are not in the fold, because once you were not in the fold. But because Jesus loved you enough to go looking for you, you are now here. So look on those who are searching for greener pastures with love and help them to find our great shepherd!

High Priest

Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16, NRSV)

The high priest was the one who stood as the mediator between the people and God. He was the one who offered the sacrifices for the people and went into the Holy of Holies to be with God for the people.

And we have the greatest high priest anyone could ask for. He has suffered with us and knows our pain and our weaknesses. He knows the trials and tribulations we face. He knows what it is to live in this world.

So lean on your high priest and trust in the grace and mercy He gives to us, and know He will never leave us or forsake us.

Brothers and Sisters!

It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying, ‘I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.’ And again, ‘I will put my trust in him.’ And again, ‘Here am I and the children whom God has given me.’ Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested. (Hebrews 2:10-18, NRSV)

We are co heirs with Christ of the kingdom.

And in order for Him to understand us, He was made to suffer like us.

You see we are all afraid of death. This has been an on going issue with humans since the very beginning. We are afraid of what we don’t know and death is one of those big things.

But here is the comfort in all of life. You are a brother or sister to Christ! He knows what it is to be human and to suffer here on earth. He knows what it is like to follow our Father in heaven in this place. He understands your pain and trials!

Plus the comfort of death is He knows all about it. He has been there and gone through it. He did not come back and tell us all about it, but He assures us He will walk through it with us.

So fear not about what we don’t know, for He is with us and will never leave us or forsake us.