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What were they thinking?

 

Perhaps the disciples were praying for understanding in the wake of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and ascension. The days spent with Jesus were a supernatural suspension of reality as they had known it. What could help them regain their footing as their heads were swirling and they still feared for their lives. Maybe Psalm 40, that each male memorized as boys, provided some source for reflection. Written by King David during a time of waiting, he is comforted that God hears his prayers.
 

1I waited patiently for the Lord;
    he inclined to me and heard my cry.
 

God rescues David and restores stable footing giving him a new song to sing, one of praise.
 

3…Many will see and fear,
    and put their trust in the Lord.

4 Blessed is the man who makes
    the Lord his trust,
 

The disciples heard the Lord’s instruction to spread the important story of Jesus’ life and work to everyone (Acts 1:8). Maybe they could now see themselves in the Psalm. It was something they had done before (Luke 10:4-11,17,20) as Jesus had sent them out two-by-two.
 

5You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
    your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
    none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
    yet they are more than can be told.
 

Jesus promised to send the Spirit. Did the Spirit begin to prompt them to write their experiences down, giving us the Bible’s Gospels? 
 

 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

 John 14:26
 

Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. John 21:25


 

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I Was Made for This
 

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Have you found your place on this earth, doing the thing you were made to do? Whether found in extreme sports or the PhD, social work, the arts or the world of finance, you sense your ability to fit in or excel as you define it. Some find their place, for others it is fleeting, and more are seeking it still.
 

We were made for Eden. Perhaps this is why we do not handle the world well when it does not fit. We were not made for betrayal, fear, selfishness, striving, the power grab, blame, punishment, or distance from God. We reap stress, heart attack, high blood pressure, autoimmune disease, cancer, and death. We were made for life eternal with God.
 

It is difficult to handle life in the manifestation and consequences of sin. Passed down through the generations it has grown to permeate all society. When I feel tightness in my chest, I breathe deeply. Come Holy Spirit, the wind, the breath of life, heal my lungs, remove the tightness and pain. When my blood pressure raises and the stress headache comes on I cast my cares upon the One who can handle them, who died for my healing. When the uneasy gut discomfort comes, I am reminded not to be anxious, but with prayer and thanksgiving to make requests for God to handle it. Obedient to His word, I am rewarded with peace. Even in the midst of all that swirls around me with ever increasing velocity, I find the peace that doesn’t make sense given the circumstances.

I can’t do this alone. That is why Jesus came in flesh to show us how to live in this world until the fullness of time when He will come again and put an end to all this foolishness. In the meantime, we get practice flexing our faith and trust muscles. Learning to rely on God’s strength that dwarfs our weakness.

Breathe deep.
 

Meditate on Philipians 4:6-9



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© Gwendolyn Moore, PHGP Publishers