When the revolt rumbles

16.05.2021

Sunday May 16, 2021

You have persuaded me, Lord, and I have been persuaded. You went hard with me and you won. Every day I am a subject of mockery, everyone laughs at me. Jeremiah 20.7

God is not a man to lie... What he said, will he not accomplish ? Numbers 23.19

Age has this capacity to allow us to evaluate teachings that have flourished in recent decades. One of them was "Dream big !" ("Dream big !")

It was an encouragement to move beyond the "old way of thinking," the Christian life, of "staying in the nails until the Lord returns." It gave birth to beautiful ministries, especially in our French-speaking world which dared to believe in "the impossible".

There was, however, a flip side, and pastors are often called upon to "pick up" Christians who are disappointed, frustrated and angry with God because they have not seen, over time, the fulfillment of their" big "dreams, visions or prophecies received.

For one, it was to buy such and such a castle and turn it into a reception center ; for the other, to go on a mission to take care of orphans; for yet another, to preach the gospel to the four corners of the planet.

"God is never wrong ... but to err is human."

Good questions to ask yourself when re-reading our past :

- "Was it really you Lord ?" Did God really speak, did we hear right, get it right ? Have the prophecies received been "examined" (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21), confirmed ?

- Have we "skipped" steps - those little "beginnings" where we were called to "serve at tables", those "little things" in which we were to be faithful ? (Acts 6.2 ; Luke 16.10)

- Have we been victims of "mimicry", seeking to resemble so-and-so, perhaps jealous of his "talents", his "territory", his success and despising works done in "secret" but that God also knows and appreciates ? (Matthew 6.4).

To find peace, let us remember these truths :

- God is never wrong... but "to err is human". Even a Christian can go astray ! This is one of the first lessons I learned in my youth when I saw "the promised husband" leave me for another !

- God loves us just as much, whether we are at the head of a large NGO or like the prophetess Anne who devoted her entire life to prayer and fasting (Luke 2: 36-37).

An action for today

Let’s not let bitterness and passivity come over us. "Go with the strength you have, do what your hand finds to do, with a good heart, as for the Lord and not for men." (Judges 6.14 ; Ecclesiastes 9.10 ; Colossians 3.23)

Catherine Gotte Avdjian

Source (The Thought of the Day)