He is Ahead of Us!
Psalm 37:7-15
7 Be still before the LORD
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For those who are evil will be destroyed,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy peace and prosperity.
12 The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them;
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.
14 The wicked draw the sword
and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.
15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
Exodus 22:25-23:26
God’s Angel to Prepare the Way
20 “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. 21 Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him. 22 If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. 23 My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out. 24 Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces. 25 Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, 26 and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span.
Matthew 24:26-35
26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.29 “Immediately after the distress of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.” 30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.32 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Reflections:
Today’s readings have a common theme, be patient and see the deliverance the Lord will have for you. The psalmist says, “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.” One of the hardest parts about being a Christian is waiting for God’s purposes to come about. We want them to happen right now, and yet God’s ways are higher than our ways and often.
I love where it says in Exodus, “See I am sending my angel ahead of your to guard your way and bring you to the place where I have prepared.” While we often take great stock in where we are going and how we get there, God is ahead of us preparing the way for us in advance. Just like Jesus has prepared a way for us to get to heaven and is there waiting for us. God has made the way for us, we just have to walk in it once step at a time, and he will deliver us from our enemies on the way to the Promised Land.
Finally, Jesus continues to teach the disciples about the end time, which has also already been prepared. While no one knows when Jesus will return to take His church, His bride with him, there will be signs. Just as we observe the coming of Spring, as we speak, there will be signs of Jesus’ coming. Importantly as we wait, since He has already prepared the way, we don’t have to think that we will have to do enough to be ready, for He has already made us ready by what He has done on the cross. So the only way we can be truly ready is to believe in His promises and then live day according to them loving our neighbor as we have been loved by Him. We can also share the Good News of what He has done for us, so others can be ready too!
My child, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways. Proverbs 23:26
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." Mark 10:21
Generous and giving God, we confess today that we are not always good stewards of our hearts or our resources. Forgive us and help us realize all that we possess belongs to you. Create within us sharing and giving hearts. Amen.
7 Be still before the LORD
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For those who are evil will be destroyed,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy peace and prosperity.
12 The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them;
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.
14 The wicked draw the sword
and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.
15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
Exodus 22:25-23:26
God’s Angel to Prepare the Way
20 “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. 21 Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him. 22 If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. 23 My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out. 24 Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces. 25 Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, 26 and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span.
Matthew 24:26-35
26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.29 “Immediately after the distress of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.” 30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.32 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Reflections:
Today’s readings have a common theme, be patient and see the deliverance the Lord will have for you. The psalmist says, “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.” One of the hardest parts about being a Christian is waiting for God’s purposes to come about. We want them to happen right now, and yet God’s ways are higher than our ways and often.
I love where it says in Exodus, “See I am sending my angel ahead of your to guard your way and bring you to the place where I have prepared.” While we often take great stock in where we are going and how we get there, God is ahead of us preparing the way for us in advance. Just like Jesus has prepared a way for us to get to heaven and is there waiting for us. God has made the way for us, we just have to walk in it once step at a time, and he will deliver us from our enemies on the way to the Promised Land.
Finally, Jesus continues to teach the disciples about the end time, which has also already been prepared. While no one knows when Jesus will return to take His church, His bride with him, there will be signs. Just as we observe the coming of Spring, as we speak, there will be signs of Jesus’ coming. Importantly as we wait, since He has already prepared the way, we don’t have to think that we will have to do enough to be ready, for He has already made us ready by what He has done on the cross. So the only way we can be truly ready is to believe in His promises and then live day according to them loving our neighbor as we have been loved by Him. We can also share the Good News of what He has done for us, so others can be ready too!
My child, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways. Proverbs 23:26
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." Mark 10:21
Generous and giving God, we confess today that we are not always good stewards of our hearts or our resources. Forgive us and help us realize all that we possess belongs to you. Create within us sharing and giving hearts. Amen.
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