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They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” Luke 24:32
Have you ever sat and listened to someone share their passion? I’m not talking about the boring person who goes into a tirade about some issue. I’m talking about the person who is so passionate about something that their words bring life to their topic.
You sit and listen to them and are so enraptured by their words that you lose all track of time. Even if you aren’t personally interested whatever it is they are talking about, their verbal and non-verbal communication mesmerizes you to the point where your entire attitude changes.
I had that once in a small way. A professor I had was so passionate about his class that I left forever changed in my attitude about it. The class? Political Science, believe it or not! I took the class as an elective because it was at the time and day I could attend. I had no interest whatsoever in Political Science. I don’t remember the professor’s name. I don’t even remember what year I took the class. What I do remember is leaving the class with not only a new appreciation for the topic, but even considered running for local office!
Passionate people breed passion in others. It’s no wonder then, that when Jesus appeared to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus he instilled passion in them for God. He talked about Moses. He talked about Elijah and Daniel. He smiled as he reflected on the life of David. And why not? He walked with those men. He watched them grow in faith. He felt the pain of their failure and rejoiced in their victories. When Jesus talked about these men, he wasn’t just talking about stories. He was talking about friends of his.
I imagine when Jesus talks about us he is just as passionate. Sure, we fail. Some of us fail miserably. We rebel almost daily. We worry when he says don’t worry. We get angry when he says trust. We get lonely when he says he is with us always. While we grumble and live in defeat he looks on us with pride and, yep, you guessed it, PASSION.
If you didn’t know me and Jesus was talking to you about me, once he was finished talking you’d be passionate about me. Why? Not because I’m something special in your eyes, but because I’m something special in Jesus’ eyes. When you’ve been with Jesus you can’t help but feel passionate about life.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank you for being passionate about me. I confess to you that I don’t feel like I’m much to be passionate about. But I’m thankful that you love me so much. I ask that you would empower me to be so passionate about you that my passion will breed passion for you in those I meet. In your name, Amen.
David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God. 1 Samuel 30:6
Imagine what it would be like to come home to find your home nothing more than a pile of smoldering rubble. Upon questioning neighbors you learn that your family has been kidnapped as well! In those few short moments you have lost everything that was once near and dear to you. Then, as though part of a horrible nightmare, people around you accuse you of being at fault for all of this tragedy!
This was the situation that King David faced in 1 Samuel 30:6. This was a time in David’s career when he was very popular among the people. He was just returning with his men from helping a neighboring King fight a battle. As the warriors came over the final hill they saw what was left of their city. It was nothing more than a pile of smoldering rubble.
The good news, if you can call it that, is that no one was killed. But where were the wives, the sons, the daughters? How many enemies had taken them? Then there was the sheer fatigue and anguish. The Bible says that the men cried until they could cry no more. In the midst of their anguish the men started to murmur against their leader. IF he hadn’t taken all of them off to battle this wouldn’t have happened. IF he’d left some men behind to guard the city they’d be sitting down to supper with their little boys and girls and getting a good night sleep in their own beds with the women they loved.
Their murmuring grew into threats and David soon heard that they were about to stone him! It’s hard to imagine what made David feel worse. Was it the fact that his own two wives were among the missing? Was it the fact that his own life was still in danger from Saul? Was it seeing these men, whom he loved in such anguish? Was it the ruins of his city? Perhaps it was the fact that these men, whom he loved dearly and whom he’d done so much for had now turned on him. All his training and protection and provision for them didn’t matter. In this time of crisis they turned their backs on the one that had done so much for them.
There are times in each of our lives when we may feel like David. We pour ourselves into the lives of others. We try to help them through times of need and struggle. It could be a friend, a child, a parent, or even a total stranger. But then something goes wrong and all of the sudden we are the ones to be blamed.
In the midst of his personal despair, at a time when he’d lost everything of physical value and now his closest friends had turned against him, David did what each of us must do when we are attacked. David turned to God. He got alone in a quiet place and asked God what he should do. He didn’t lash out at his attackers. He didn’t defend himself. He didn’t try to place the blame on God, the men themselves, or even the enemy. He met with God and formulated a plan to rescue the women, children and material possessions that had been taken.
When things go horribly wrong in your life, follow David’s example. First of all, don’t give up. Don’t let yourself get sucked into the ‘poor little old me’ mindset. Then, like David, pick yourself up and go to the one that will never leave you, never forsake you and always be a loyal, trusted friend. God allows adversity and tragedy in our lives in order to teach us to trust him and not men. He alone can bring you through whatever you are facing today. You may be betrayed by your closest friends, but God will never ever forsake you.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I thank you for the story of David. Thank you for the reminder that when those I thought were my closest allies fail me; I can always turn to you. Show me how I can trust you to resolve conflicts. Give me strength to pick myself up and move on. Empower me with your Holy Spirit to trust you in all things. Amen.
I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. Psalm 34:1
I received a phone call one day from the wife of a friend of mine. ‘Jerry’ had gone into the hospital the day before for tests. He was already considered disabled as a result of an illness that kept him from working. He’d lost his job, was forced to sell all of his ‘toys’ and now his wife was back in the workplace. The doctor’s report wasn’t good. It was determined that the disease had progressed to the point where he wouldn’t be able to take care of the kids while his wife was at work.
After talking with Jerry’s wife for a bit I decided to make the trip down to the hospital. On the way down I was praying for Jerry and his family, wondering what it would be like to have lost everything, thinking of how lucky I was to not be in his position. I also prayed for wisdom to be able to say the right things to lift my dear friend’s spirits during this most trying of times.
The walk down the hallway to his room was excruciating. I looked inside and saw him still connected to all sorts of tubes and wires and my heart sank. “Lord, help me know what to say,” I whispered under my breath as I entered the room.
Everything changed once Jerry I entered that hospital room…everything in my attitude that is. We sat and talked for nearly 45 minutes. During that time Jerry did most of the talking. He talked about how fortunate he was to have Jesus in his life. He talked about how wonderful his wife was. He bragged about how well his kids were doing in school. With my help he showed me a verse he’d read the day before and how it had blessed him. There was little said about the doctors, the tubes, the disease or his future. None of that mattered to Jerry. Jesus would take care of that.
I left the room wondering what had just happened! I was supposed to be the one to encourage, yet I was encouraged by the very person who should have been down. I was spoken to in a real way that day. The passage Jerry had shown me was Psalm 34. Psalm 34 was written by someone else who was in dire circumstances: King David.
When David wrote this Psalm he was running for his life from King Saul. He’d taken refuge in enemy territory and acted insane to save his life. He was humiliated, homeless; he’d been betrayed and felt completely alone. Still, in the midst of his despair he was able to praise his God.
The reason David was able to sing praises in his despair is because he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that no matter where he was, no matter what had happened in his life, no matter what lay ahead of him, God was with him to guide, provide and protect.
What struggles are you facing today? Is your past haunting you? Have you been betrayed or rejected? Do you have health, relational or financial concerns? Remember what Jerry and David remembered. In our times of deepest need we need only look to Jesus for comfort and strength. Trusting in Jesus doesn’t take away the pain of life, but it does give us strength and wisdom to move on.
PRAYER: Holy God. I thank You for the promise that you will be with me in every situation. I praise you because you know better than anyone else my pain, sorrow, frustration and fears. I ask that you would strengthen me to move on in life. Help me to put life in perspective so that I can be an encouragement to others regardless of my own circumstances. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 