Deeper and Deeper
Mark 8:31-33 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
Jesus was plainly giving those closest to him a glimpse into the future, he was telling them of the sovereignty of God and the plans for Jesus’ life. You know they were amazed and terrified at what they were hearing. It is of no surprise that the zealous Peter spoke out against it, but Peter did not realize he was speaking out against God. Peter did not know he was being used as Satan’s mouthpiece at the feet of Jesus. There have been many times Satan will use us in the midst of an argument, and only afterward will we realize what has happened and how terrifying that realization becomes. We too may have argued with God. We may have argued against the sovereignty of God.
I could give you countless examples of those in my circle suffering on many levels right now. These could be physically, mentally, financially, loss of a loved one, loss of a job, how long the list could be. Many times it is a combination package. I could personally attest of roads I have traveled in many of these; of the current difficult path God has me on now. In the midst of these trials, those in the faith have a peace that the world does not understand. Many times we are asked how are we dealing with the situation, and there He opens he door for us to share our faith. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (II Corinthians1:3-4 NKJV) The peace that comforts us in the midst of life’s tough situations is the prescience of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Spirit gives us enough of a glimpse of Gods sovereignty that we know he is in control, that he knows the outcome, that he is not going to leave us nor forsake us there. There are scripture references for each of those statements.
God will allow you to go down paths in your life that you would never travel by choice. He will guide you through incredibly tough situations in life to show you your need for him and deepen you understanding of his sovereignty. Without these tough roads you would never know the power of God, you would never know your need for God, you would never experience or desire to worship him at any level. Praise him through the storms of life for you are closer to him in the midst of them. In that closeness he is drawing those on the outside to himself as the see the evidence of your faith. Let him take you deeper and deeper.
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