Thursday, June 25, 2009

Day 25: Trade-in

Today's reading is grim. Betrayal, lies, torture, death. Imagine watching your hope die, right there in front of you. The people following Jesus had expected things to go very differently if he was going to save them. This was the day that hope died.

But it's not the end of the story. We're on chapter 23. There's still one more chapter.

I wonder if that might be worth reflecting on today, in areas where our hope has died? Just because our plan for how things should work out fails--a relationship falls apart, we lose the job, something we were sure would happen never does--that doesn't mean God doesn't have another plan in progress.

There are two places in my life right now where I was quite sure I knew what would happen next, what the trip from A to B would look like. Neither are at all on track to work out they way I'd hoped. When I'm honest, that really bums me out. I have a choice: I can watch those dreams die, believing that God has a "chapter 24" for me. Or I can watch those dreams die and wait to die myself. Neither, perhaps, is how I would have ordered things. But maybe--as we'll see tomorrow--God has something altogether bigger, better, and more powerful in mind than what I'd settle for.

It seems worth considering.

6 comments:

Breeza said...

This post really strikes me because I was 100% sure something great was going to happen yesterday. But it didn't. Maybe God told me that for some other reason but I was sure He told me yesterday was the day. I don't know. It's hard but I'm not giving up. I'm trusting that He has something bigger planned that I can imagine and that is He preparing me for whatever that is.

Myowne said...

Dont't give up, Breeza. If I have learned anything in my brief journey with God, even on those days when we don't think things are going the way, we thought, God is still moving and working on behalf. Delayed is not always denied...

Sarakastic said...

I know the feeling all too well nice to know I'm not the only one.

Trish Ryan said...

For what it's worth, anytime I've thought God was telling me, "TODAY is the day!" or "HE is THE ONE!" it turned out to not be God. I've only had Him give me a specific date in advance once.

Reading the Bible, it seems like God prefers to keep the who & when parts of answered prayers to Himself :)

Stella said...

Sometimes when hope appears lost I can't get my mind around the thought ... its just TOO big.

I'm opting for the idea that "there's still one more chapter" (and another, and another) ... and my story doesn't end with my current circumstances.

Smiles,
Stella

Anonymous said...

keep believing...He has great things planned for each and every one!