August 25, 2024

Passage Read: Luke 21-22
Meditation Verse: 21:36

Thought

Jesus says this about the hard times that are coming against believers, that we need to pray for strength to endure, to survive, to escape all that is coming on the earth. This is the same thing He told His disciples to pray while in the garden, that they would not fall into temptation, temptation to fight back and defend themselves, that they would not fall before the temptation to deny Jesus. The disciples fell asleep quickly, rather than plead with God for strength to understand what was about to happen and respond in obedience and in the likeness of Jesus. Peter could have stood by Jesus through everything that followed, if he had just taken his cue from Jesus. He might not have been arrested, since they didn't care about the disciples, but he could have remained faithful if he had spent the time in prayer like Jesus told him to.

Application

The same is true for me. I won't be able to stand in faithfulness and solidarity with Jesus when men turn against Him as predicted, if I won't spend time in prayer asking for strength to stand and to resist the temptation to save my skin. I won't stand in faithfulness because I think I'm so dedicated to Him. I should accept little challenges as tests meant to strengthen my resolve, but ultimately, I need to "do business" with God, to prepare myself to suffer as Jesus did, to prepare my heart to endure what Jesus did, to accept God's will even though it cost me terrible physical torment and emotional anguish. Unless I wrestle through these fears and settle myself with an acceptance of even horrific suffering, I will not be able to stand in the face of what is coming; I will deny Jesus. So I need to spend time counting the cost and preparing to suffer and accepting what God has decreed for me.