Stand By Me

The more I study the life of Jesus,

the more my perspective of things changes.

As I seek to understand

the things going on in my life

(and in the world),

I, once again, realize

that everything revolves around

Him.

I have tried, in the past, 

to understand things

in my own strength

and have come up empty.

True wisdom comes from

knowing Him.

In as such,

seeing things from

His perspective

has become life-blood

for me.

Seeing things through His eyes

gives me

Hope.

My attempts and failure

at forcing myself into

being content

with circumstances

has actually forced me 

deeper into Him.

I now realize that 

God

doesn't intend for us to be content

in circumstances.

How can we be?

To be content with

governments & suffering,

poverty & evil

is perverse.

He isn't content with these things

so why do we try and convince

each other that we should be?

God desires for us,

instead,

to be content in Him.

As I was pondering all of this,

Holy Spirit reminded me of

Jesus' time in Gethsemane.

Here is Matthew's telling of it:

"Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, 

and he said, 

“Sit here while I go over there to pray.”  

He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, 

and he became anguished and distressed. 

 He told them,

 “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. 

Stay here and keep watch with me.”

 "He went on a little farther and bowed 

with his face to the ground, praying, 

“My Father! If it is possible, 

let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. 

Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

  "Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed,

 “My Father! 

If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, 

your will be done.”  

"So he went to pray a third time,

 saying the same things again"

(Matthew 26:36-39, 42, 44)

You see,

Jesus wasn't content with His circumstances.

But he was content with the Father.

He wasn't content with

what He was about to suffer.

But He was content with knowing

 that in spite of

(and because of)

His suffering,

God (He) would prevail!

How comforting to know

that despite 

evil, corruption, poverty & perverseness,

GOD prevails!

Knowing this 

fills me with

Peace 

& 

Hope.

Though my world may be crumbling ,

I am content,

knowing that Jesus 

is standing by/with me!