Do We See The Providence Of God When We Give Up Our Crutches And Follow Jesus?
Good Morning Friends,
Despite the growing economic boom, suicide rates are on the rise in Florida and as the sadist time of the year, late January, post bowl games, carries over into the winter Flu and Covid season I must wonder about those people who have gotten bad news on top of the reduction of sunshine also experienced this time of year. And I think one of the problems is isolation of people from the people who might care for them best. But then who wants to be around a person with a cough and runny nose. You see our mental health is more fragile than we would like to think. Today’s text may not help you with your symptoms but is instructive on the topic of mental health. Here we see how godly friends can help keep us sane. We get this guidance clearly in the life of Jesus and an echo of this reality in the lives of David, Saul, Mephibosheth, and Jonathan. We see the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. We see rock star qualities of the Bible’s heroes and the drama of leadership change and marvel at how God works spiritually in all the emotions of life. So, for those who have gotten the message that their spouse wants a divorce…For those whose supervisor has said that they are being let go… for those who have gotten catastrophic medical news about themselves or a loved one…they may be asking where God is in all this if God is so powerful and caring. Or if there is a God at all. So, this morning I am mindful that the Hebrews were asking themselves this very same question. For they had suffered waves of persecution and they felt vulnerable and defenseless. They had even begun to lose interest in serving the God who seemed so remote So, this morning we ponder the ways we prop up our spirit. And consider that God might even use our need for support to carry out a divine purpose to the glory of God, even as we contemplate today’s question. Do We See The Providence Of God When We Give Up Our Crutches And Follow Jesus?
Scripture: Consequently, he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for those of the people; this he did once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests those who are subject to weakness, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever. Now the main point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister in the sanctuary and the true tent that the Lord, and not any mortal, has set up. For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; hence it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. They offer worship in a sanctuary that is a sketch and shadow of the heavenly one; for Moses, when he was about to erect the tent, was warned, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” But Jesus has now obtained a more excellent ministry, and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted through better promises.
Hebrews 7:25-8:6 (NRSV)
Jesus departed with his disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed him; hearing all that he was doing, they came to him in great numbers from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and the region around Tyre and Sidon. He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him; for he had cured many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him. Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, “You are the Son of God!” But he sternly ordered them not to make him known.
Mark 3:7-12 (NRSV)
As they were coming home, when David returned from killing the Philistine, the women came out of all the towns of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments. And the women sang to one another as they made merry, “Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” Saul was very angry, for this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands; what more can he have but the kingdom?” So Saul eyed David from that day on. Saul spoke with his son Jonathan and with all his servants about killing David. But Saul’s son Jonathan took great delight in David. Jonathan told David, “My father Saul is trying to kill you; therefore be on guard tomorrow morning; stay in a secret place and hide yourself. I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you; if I learn anything I will tell you.” Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul, saying to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have been of good service to you; for he took his life in his hand when he attacked the Philistine, and the Lord brought about a great victory for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced; why then will you sin against an innocent person by killing David without cause?” Saul heeded the voice of Jonathan; Saul swore, “As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.” So Jonathan called David and related all these things to him. Jonathan then brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before.
1 Samuel 18:6-9; 19:1-7 (NRSV)
Saul’s son Jonathan had a son who was crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled; and, in her haste to flee, it happened that he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.
2 Samuel 4:4 (NRSV)
Message: We may seek a hero’s power, position, and personal characteristics and even possessions, but the smart thing is to find our security ultimately in God. But the pathway there is not always in our control. So, we see in today’s text the reality that Jesus had grown in strength and became a threat to the religious leaders, so too we see in today’s text that David and his followers had grown in strength, and that David had become a very real threat to Saul. Where we find our security against real threats is the challenge of whether we should exercise fight and flight. We do not fully see it in today’s text but, Saul’s forces will ultimately be decisively defeated by the Philistines and his three sons, Michal’s brothers, David’s brothers-in-law would be killed as a way of paving the way for David to become King. But before this happens God prepares David. God had separated David from his position in the army, and the crutch of power and possessions, and his wife Michal, and the crutch of position, his counselor Samuel, and the crutch of prophecy and ultimately his best friend Jonathan and the crutch of a promoter. And yet David survives while Saul commits suicide. So, in the end, each of us must come to grips with how we feel about power, position, and people. We must come to grips with the crutches we have and when they are useful and when they are not. And here we are to discover that there is no relationship more powerful and more important than Jesus. Given the pressures on us from family, jobs, endeavors, and pressures to worship the things of the world, we all might do well to reevaluate our emotions on this topic. And so, as we close today’s devotional reflection, let us focus for a time on what happened to Mephibosheth, who might well have been saved because of his need for a crutch. And the reality is that Mephibosheth could have lived a life of obscurity, loneliness, and rejection, for he experienced tragedy. Instead of growing up in luxury, health, and prestige he could have faced a life of why me. We do not know if he was ever healed physically but then we need to remember that King David brought Mephibosheth into his presence, so he might dine at the King’s table the rest of his life, and that this was a type of healing. Here David honors his friend Jonathan who had saved his life. Here we get a hint of how Jesus can save ours. Friends, we are to spread the hope. Someone’s life depends on it. Some people are not as good as they think they are. In fact, the truth be told, all of us have a long way to go before we reach the beautiful perfection of Christ. Hebrews tells us that we serve a God who is more than able to save both in the here and now and for eternity, but the choice is still ours.
And So, God’s providence is in the story. God saved David from Saul’s attacks. But it is a little bittersweet. Life is not a straight line leading from one blessing to the next and then finally to heaven. Life is a winding and troubled road. Switchback after switchback. And the point of biblical stories like Joseph and Job and Esther and Ruth and especially Jesus is to help us feel in our bones, not just know in our heads, that God is for us in all these strange turns. God is not just showing up after the trouble and cleaning it up. He is plotting the course and managing the troubles with far-reaching purposes for our good and for the glory of Jesus Christ. God’s works of providence are governing all his creatures, and all their actions. Many of us struggle with the truth that God is in providential control over all things. Perhaps we have been duped by those who tell us that when we become Christians, then all our troubles will go away, and life will be wonderful for us. But, if we have been a Christian for any length of time, we know that being a Christian does not mean a trouble-free life. Look at the life of David. One day, young David was minding his own business while watching his father’s sheep on the outskirts of Bethlehem when he was summoned by the Prophet Samuel, who anointed him as the next king over Israel. A short time later, David was conscripted into King Saul’s service. It was not long before Saul became insanely jealous of David and tried to have him killed on a multitude of occasions. Yet, through all his difficulties, David entrusted himself to God’s providential care. Even when he was in a cave and had the opportunity to kill Saul but instead God restrained David and let Saul live for a time. God had rejected Saul as king over Israel and had chosen David to become the future king over Israel. Nevertheless, Saul was still the reigning king and David had yet to begin his reign. By setting himself against God’s anointed, Saul was in fact opposing God himself. When the time is right obstacles will be removed. We have to respond when the time is right.
Pray when the time is right, we lay down our crutches, so we might follow Jesus. Pray we recognize the value of good friends to help us on the journey. Pray we realize that Jesus can overcome evil. Pray we be tools restoring relationships and honoring friendships that glorify God. Pray we accept the invitation to dine at Christ’s table. Pray we choose to live. Pray we count Jesus as our friend. Pray we offer real hope to those in need in a way the glorifies God. Pray our minds are renewed. Pray we are saved not just in the here and now but for eternity.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 