Tag: Not Forgotten

“Let us go into Judea…
His disciples said to Him,
‘Lord, do we have to go there again?”
John 11:7-8

Jesus’ “ministry team” spent a lot of time in the region of Galilee . . . it was familiar, “home” for most of them.  They were comfortable with how life worked in their surroundings . . . the culture . . . the life-style. . . “safe.”  They could be near the sea that had been such a comfortable part of their normal life.  Life in the Galilee region was quieter. . . slower . . . comfortable.   That is, until Jesus came along and changed everything.

Judea was a different story.  Yes, it was part of “the Land” of Israel.  Yes, their people lived there, but the culture and lifestyle was not like theirs in Galilee.  “Up North” was a slower pace.

Fishing and other livelihoods of living with sea, lakes, and the river nearby was where they knew best how to “do life.”  

Judea was in “The South.”  It was hotter there.   Dryer.  Yes, there was water . . . the Mediterranean Sea, but also the “Dead Sea.”  It was the region of Bethlehem and Jerusalem, key pieces of their history.  

But the worst part of their trip was having to travel all the way through Samaria to get there. Samaria. . . not populated with a majority of their people.  It was more of an Arab culture than their Jewish  people who worshipped Jehovah God.  Just walking through the region meant that they would be  “defiled.”  

They may have had thoughts . . . attitudes . . . hesitations . . .knowing well what that trip would mean for them.  Uncomfortable, “different culture,”  “foreign,”  perhaps hostile attitudes.  Walking.  And they would all have to go through purification when they reached Judea.

But Jesus didn’t seem to notice what they noticed.   He just didn’t look at “life” as they / we do.  

After all, Jesus left all that Heaven is. . . Perfection . . . Peace . . . the very Presence of God.  He chose to leave all of that to come to Earth, willing to go through all that we experience here . . . and far harsher and deadly than any of us have known.  

He came.  Yes, He had His “Moment” of a depth of struggle that none of us can imagine, but He did what His Father asked, for us.  For Love.  

What is He asking of you?   Perhaps even,… again?

Check out Janet’s book: Not Forgotten on Amazon

“Truly my soul waits silently for God alone;
From Him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be shaken."  
Psalm 62:1-2

Anyone who has spent time  with children knows how hard it is for them to wait. . .for anything!  And God’s children carry that same characteristic.  Oh….we can wait for awhile, but, like children, it is usually with wiggles, questions, reminders, growing anxiety,  and pleading that becomes demanding.  

The writer of this Psalm has clearly come to a level of trust  in God that would  not have come easily.   He has experienced realities that required being saved from danger that threatened him . . . whether physically or emotionally or mentally.  

He has needed to find safely in the midst of danger that threatened his life.  He has needed a sense of rock-solid help in coping with whatever was shaking him.  He longed for a sense of protection from whatever was causing his fears.  Something was looming that was shaking him deeply.

It is difficult for us to face experiences that threaten to shake our personal world.  When tragedy or dangers come, we impulsively try to fix or escape the situation.  I remember two such times in my own life when “what was” dramatically changed in my life . . . and I struggled with a sense of hopelessness, unable to picture any future.

The psalmist has fought that battle, and has learned from experience some solid Truths about where to turn when life has been shaken.  He had experienced failed efforts of scrambling for God to fix the situation . . . or to defend himself. . . or plead with God to take it away . . . or to somehow escape it.  

But his conclusion after all of those efforts to “fix” the difficult, probably very painful situation has become clear.  He has learned from experience all the human efforts that do not bring the solution.

The only true solution rests in God’s Hands.  The Rock to Whom we can hold tightly for safety and permanence in the storms of life, and The Defense against all the fears and dangers that shake our life on earth.

Grab on to your Rock, and hold tightly.  He knows . . . sees . . . and will bring you through to Safety and Peace.

Check out Janet’s book: Not Forgotten on Amazon