Most people walking the Christian path at some point get angry or disappointed, and maybe even say to God or God's representative, “Hey, this is not what I signed on for.” It can happen when someone we love dies, or a relationship breaks up, or trust is broken, or we become ill or vulnerable in some way. Sometimes we even take a hike away from everything we connect with God. Those hikes can last days or decades.
For Peter that point came when he heard Jesus say what would happen to him in the days to come:
Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
“This will never happen to you!” Peter says. “How could it? You’re the most powerful person we’ve ever seen. I’ve just acknowledged that I believe you are the Son of God, the Messiah himself! How is it the Son of God could be killed?”
Though insubordinate, Peter’s rebuke is deeply faithful; the disappointment we can feel when it seems God has let us down is a measure of our faith. If we didn’t believe in God’s power and love, we wouldn’t be so disappointed. These letdowns also present an invitation to grow in our faith, to separate out the promises we think God made from the ones God really has made. My friend Peter calls these “contracts” we think we have with God – such as, “I will serve you, and nobody I love will get hurt.” Only eventually we find out God never signed those contracts.
So what promises can we count on in this life? I count at least three P’s - Peace, Presence, Power.
Peace: “My peace I leave you, my peace I give you,”Jesus said to his followers. Paul reminds us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God, and the peace of Christ, which defies understanding, will guard your mind and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.” God never promised to change our circumstances but gives us peace within them…and sometimes that’s enough to change them.
Presence: “Lo, I am with you always,” Jesus said before ascending into heaven. “Even unto the end of the ages.” Hebrews quotes him as saying, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” That’s a promise we can live on, as his presence is not only with us but in us through his Holy Spirit, that living water that wells up within us to eternal life.
Power: “I have given you authority to… overcome all the power of the enemy,” Jesus said as he sent out 72 followers to proclaim the Good News and heal the sick. Paul reminded the Corinthians that, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.”
Human wisdom and human strength and human vision will only get us so far. We have been given the gift of divine wisdom, divine strength, the eyes of God to see things that to the world appear not to exist. We live already that eternal Life that transcends life. As we learn to rely more and more on these promises of God, we will find disappointment transformed to hope we did not dream possible.
Please scroll down for information about an online retreat I'm hosting March 6 - a Lenten Spa for the Spirit! We will focus on spiritual fitness for peacemakers. All are welcome!
I invite you to join me for an online retreat morning on Saturday, March 6, starting at 9 am and ending by 12:30. This retreat time will focus on the spiritual practices that keep us "fit" as peacemakers - forgiveness, hope, hospitality and peace. Even a few hours of retreat can renew and recharge our souls.
Click here to register;
Zoom link and more information will be emailed. Share the Facebook Event and invite others. Download the flyer here and share!
“This will never happen to you!” Peter says. “How could it? You’re the most powerful person we’ve ever seen. I’ve just acknowledged that I believe you are the Son of God, the Messiah himself! How is it the Son of God could be killed?”
Though insubordinate, Peter’s rebuke is deeply faithful; the disappointment we can feel when it seems God has let us down is a measure of our faith. If we didn’t believe in God’s power and love, we wouldn’t be so disappointed. These letdowns also present an invitation to grow in our faith, to separate out the promises we think God made from the ones God really has made. My friend Peter calls these “contracts” we think we have with God – such as, “I will serve you, and nobody I love will get hurt.” Only eventually we find out God never signed those contracts.
So what promises can we count on in this life? I count at least three P’s - Peace, Presence, Power.
Peace: “My peace I leave you, my peace I give you,”Jesus said to his followers. Paul reminds us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God, and the peace of Christ, which defies understanding, will guard your mind and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.” God never promised to change our circumstances but gives us peace within them…and sometimes that’s enough to change them.
Presence: “Lo, I am with you always,” Jesus said before ascending into heaven. “Even unto the end of the ages.” Hebrews quotes him as saying, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” That’s a promise we can live on, as his presence is not only with us but in us through his Holy Spirit, that living water that wells up within us to eternal life.
Power: “I have given you authority to… overcome all the power of the enemy,” Jesus said as he sent out 72 followers to proclaim the Good News and heal the sick. Paul reminded the Corinthians that, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.”
Human wisdom and human strength and human vision will only get us so far. We have been given the gift of divine wisdom, divine strength, the eyes of God to see things that to the world appear not to exist. We live already that eternal Life that transcends life. As we learn to rely more and more on these promises of God, we will find disappointment transformed to hope we did not dream possible.
Please scroll down for information about an online retreat I'm hosting March 6 - a Lenten Spa for the Spirit! We will focus on spiritual fitness for peacemakers. All are welcome!
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I invite you to join me for an online retreat morning on Saturday, March 6, starting at 9 am and ending by 12:30. This retreat time will focus on the spiritual practices that keep us "fit" as peacemakers - forgiveness, hope, hospitality and peace. Even a few hours of retreat can renew and recharge our souls. Click here to register;
Zoom link and more information will be emailed. Share the Facebook Event and invite others. Download the flyer here and share!
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