From Sticky Souls to Transformed Hearts
God’s command—from the glorious clouds overshadowing the Transfiguration of Jesus in the gospels—reminds us: when we listen and do whatever the Son of God says he will lead us from barrenness due to selfish living into righteous fruit-producing living for the glory of God. Self cannot satisfy self. We must hunger for God.
This is basically our journey for Lent, because sinful attitudes and actions try to stick to our souls and destroy our Life with God. Jesus wants us to produce righteous fruit that bring glory to our King’s rule and reign.
“We have never reaped such a harvest from any seed as from that which fell from our hands while tears were falling from our eyes.” —Charles H. Spurgeon
Day 6: Fasting the Inefficiency of Grief
Jesus understood and felt grief. He cried and wept. Let that soak in for a minute. John the Baptist, a precious person and part of Jesus’ family—someone who recognized the Lord’s purpose even before he was born—has been unjustly beheaded by Herod in order to satisfy corrupt unbelieving people. What does Jesus do when he gets the news? He goes to a solitary place to grieve the loss; he takes the necessary time to mourn and pray. Then, he shifts his focus back on the plan of his Father and sets his emotions toward acts of compassion for the salvation of others.
This world is temporal and we will face loss and death, but God’s Kingdom is eternal and the true home of hope for believers. The Kingdom of our Lord can be difficult to understand, because it is always about finding a place of surrender to the righteous plans and will of Father God in order to remain in peace and joy. Jesus is such an amazing example of this reality, because although his human side is dealing with wounded emotions and loss, he spends the necessary time in prayer-filled grief and then presses on to be the divine Light of salvation for others. He sticks close to the Father and remains fruitful during every level of transformation that will deliver him to the cross of God’s glorious plan.
Today, please remember God does not spare us grief. Therefore, we must give it time to do the necessary work in us. Jesus took time to grieve John’s death; to experience the release of what was in order to press on to what laid before him.
We have all experienced the grief of a loss. Sometimes we face grief by: The death of a loved one, a loss of relationship, loss of a job, a financial loss, and sometimes it is a loss through geographical distance. It is wise to honor the losses in our lives; death and grief transforms us. We are learning to look at life through Kingdom eyes.
Whatever loss you have faced, please remain focused on the lovely gathering of memories God has given you. There is no real timeline for grief; but, true healing comes through quiet reflective time and prayer. So, during this Lenten season, allow the Lord to help you “sit” with your sorrow, release your emotions, and then move you through it and into more of your precious future…because the Kingdom is before us and Jesus leads the Way.
John 12:44-50 NLT
44 Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. 45 For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. 46 I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. 47 I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. 48 But all who reject me and my message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken. 49 I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. 50 And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say.”
Prayer: Lord, thank you for allowing us to experience time for our grief. Help us to look to you, Jesus, as the Author of our faith. May we invite the work of the Spirit to bring the necessary healing we need to and for our emotions. Please don’t allow us to let grief destroy our futures, but let it be a step to transform us and help see the temporal nature of this world and the many ways we can sow more seeds for the eternal salvation of those around us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.