It is Finished

Hoping for a quick victory, I now realize that the battle has just begun. We are praying for someone whose life has fallen apart and seeing some progress. Because of unexpected yet welcome events, it appeared that God was at work and this person was open and ready for change in his spiritual life. However, any evidence of that was missing yesterday. 

I get discouraged easily when I cannot see progress. I come to the Lord thinking that my prayers have been in vain and nothing is working as I’d hoped. However, God reminds me again that I’m to walk by faith, not by sight. He also reminds me to keep my eyes on Jesus. From His life, I learn much. He is not only my example of how I need to live, but also my example of how I need to think. 

Today’s devotional reading is based on a short verse from His prayer shortly before the crucifixion. As He talks to God about eternal matters and His desire for the future, He says,

I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. (John 17:4)

Jesus actually had not yet died for the sins of the world. How could He say that He had finished the work His Father sent Him to do when He still had one major act of obedience ahead of Him? 

The person who wrote the devotional says it is because Jesus knew that when His will was yielded, the battle was as good as over. In the shadows of Gethsemane, Jesus battled the cup of suffering and death. That battle ended when He said, “Not my will but thine be done.” As soon as He willed to die, He already triumphed over death. The cup is “easy for the lips to drain it when once the heart has accepted it” because “the real battlefield is in the silence of the spirit.” Because He conquered that battle, it was over and Jesus had finished what God sent Him to do. 

In the same way, prayer is my battle. Having God’s assurance of answered prayer is very powerful. It ought to be the same as declaring, “It is finished” even though the answer is not yet in sight. This is almost too profound for me, yet I can see that the Lord wants me to cling to this, not to what my eyes can see. He has given assurance and expects His word and promise to be my confidence, enough to say it is finished.

I can see that this confidence is no different from faith in eternal salvation. I have eternal life as a gift from God. I am completely assured of heaven, yet cannot see anything of it with my eyes. What is my assurance based on? Is it not the promises of God and faith in Him to keep His promises? 

In the same way, He promises to answer prayer. Do I have to see the answer before I believe what He says? Unfortunately, I’ve thought that way and too easily abandoned prayer because the answer didn’t come as quickly as I’d hoped. Now I can see that because of the faithfulness of the One who promised, I can consider this as good as done and pray with the assurance that “it is finished.” 

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Lord, I need to confess my doubts. So often, my faith wavers under delay and lack of visual evidence. That has never happened regarding my eternal destiny, so why should my faith jump all over the place when it comes to assurance about other things that You clearly promise? Forgive my quickness to doubt You in these things that You have once given me faith to believe. Increase my faith and may my heart be like Your heart, realizing that once You determine what needs to be done, You will not only see it through to the end, but even now consider that it is already accomplished.

A love beyond what I can do

Those who care for elderly or ill family members are told that they cannot do this care by themselves. They will burn out from the stress of it and not be able to carry on. At present, at least three of my family are in this situation. A man in his nineties is taking care of his wife who has severe dementia. A wife is caring for her spouse who has had a stroke and is unable to think straight. A husband is caring for his wife who has a severe illness. 

As I watch them, I wonder about the advice given to caregivers. Is this a cultural admonition based on the busyness of North American life? Have people lost the capacity to care for their loved ones?

A few years ago, both my parents lived in our home. After a year, they moved into a residence for retired people, and from there to a care facility. I was criticized by one person who told me that in other cultures, the burden of family care is seldom passed on to the government or social agencies. The family did it and I was wrong to “put my parents in an old folks’ home.” 

I felt guilty, but at the same time knew that my father was okay with outside help. He would never accept family care when it came to giving him a bath. How could I push that against his own wishes? 

Yet in the Bible, the Lord exhorts His people to care for each other. The burdens are not always related to health or other infirmities, yet regardless of the burden, the attitude I’m supposed to have toward those in need is clear from today’s verse, and from the others that follow it.

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)

For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:14)

We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. (Romans 15:1)

And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. (1 Thessalonians 5:14)

And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1 John 4:21)

Love isn’t about cultural norms, nor is it about warm, fuzzy feelings. Clearly, it is about helping someone else with their struggles, sometimes at great personal cost. It is also putting the best interests of other people at the top of the list, not doing what I want, but what that other person needs.

I’m impressed by my relative who cares for his wife with dementia. He knows that she is severely confused. Moving her out of her home would increase her confusion to the point that she would be in great stress. He loves her too much to do that to her. Somehow, in that self-sacrificial love, he finds the strength.

I’m also impressed by the woman who cares for her husband. She put him in a care facility, knowing that if she kept him at home, she could not provide 24/7 care and would eventually burn out herself. She does not want to leave him without anyone to help him with his burdens. She loves him too much to do that.

Deciding the best way to love others and bear burdens is not easy. The man who has been caring for his ill wife has not looked for or accepted help. He felt this was his duty, yet he has burned out and now in the hospital. His family must now make arrangements for night nurses and home care to take over his role. He admits that in trying to keep up the appearance of being “okay” he failed the one he loves and now cannot do anything to care for her. 

How can I obey God in loving others without falling apart? Part of the answer is in the fact that this love God asks me to give is not about me or from me. It is not about feelings, or any self-determination, or what I can do on my own. This love is agape, the love of God that is “shed abroad in the heart” of those who believe in Jesus Christ. He was willing to die for my sin. I cannot muster up or make happen that kind of love. It must flow from Him through me. Yet because He lives in me, such great love is available. 

I also think about why God wants me to do this. Of course love gives good things that others need. It is never about what I might get out of it. This love also has great purpose in that it demonstrates the love of Jesus Christ so others can see what He is like. One other reason is that this love of God speaks volumes about me and all those who can love in this burden-bearing way . . .

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:34–35)

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Lord, I know that I cannot love as You command apart from believing in You and abiding in Christ. Your love is different from human love. It stands out because of its eternal source and everlasting quality. It is a love without limits because You love everyone, even Your enemies. While we were still sinners, You died for us. Because of Your love, I can depend on You to help me know and do what is the best for others. I can put aside all my “I wants” and lift burdens because You graciously give the strength and the love needed to do it.  

Why worry when I can rejoice?

My mother was a worrier. We finally figured out that even though she professed faith in God, she was like everyone else and wanted to control things. She sometimes “supposed” about the unknown so she didn’t feel left in the dark about what was going on, but mostly she fussed about things in her mind and sometimes in her words. Instead of giving the perplexities of life to the Lord, she worried.

Most of us do that in varying degrees. The older I get, the more I find I don’t have the energy it takes to worry. Besides that, God knows all about everything and I do not. It seems far better to let Him do the worrying (even though I know that He does no such thing).

This morning’s devotional offers a few verses about a remarkable woman who worried a little bit, but had greater trust in the Lord that I can ever imagine myself having. Living in a land where their taskmasters were killing all Jewish baby boys, look what this woman did!

Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. (Exodus 2:1–4)

This couple was Amram and Jochebed and the child was Moses. He was born at that time in Jewish history when the nation was in slavery in Egypt. These people were also prolific and the Egyptians feared they would rise up in rebellion. So they ordered all new born boys put to death. God had plans for Moses, but Jochebed didn’t know that. All she knew was that this was a special child and she wanted him to live.

Could I put my baby in a basket and set it in the river? Could I trust God to take care of the child from that point? This woman had no control over what happened next. She sent Miriam, his older sister, to watch what happened, but other than wanting to know the outcome, everything was out of her hands.

How much of life is like that? I’ve used the term “control freak” and often said, “It’s a control thing” but when analyzing the way people try to control by fussing, myself included, our attempts to manipulate life are usually laughable. If carried far enough, this active form of worrying can ruin our health, spoil relationships, even erode our faith.

God has another answer. I’m sure that His Spirit worked in Jochebed, for no ordinary woman would be able to do what she did without faith in the Sovereign One. He is able to do great things, and somehow she must have known this truth. God is near, do not worry. This is plainly expressed in the New Testament.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4–7)

This mother of Moses was likely anxious, but instead of letting that control her, she no doubt brought her requests to God. In the peace that only He can give, and with a guarded heart and mind, she did the only thing she could do; she yielded control of Moses’ life to Almighty God.

According to these verses from Philippians, doing that is “reasonableness.” It is a mild, gentle and appropriate action that follows faith. It may not make sense to an excessive worrier, but if I am fully trusting God, then it is reasonable to put my concerns in His hands, even lay them into the river and stand back, watching to see what He does with them. When I do, He gives a peace that is beyond understanding. I’m not sure about Jochebed, but after only one experience of this peace, my heart can mock the silly idea that I can control anything by worrying.

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Oh Lord God, there are plenty of things a person can worry about. Life is filled with threats, problems, and what ifs. However, You are Sovereign. I seldom understand what You have planned, but I do understand that I am mostly helpless AND that nothing is too difficult for You. “Don’t worry, be happy” is a silly song and a pat answer, but when considered in the light of Your grace and power, no worries and rejoicing always is a totally reasonable way of life.

At the front lines

Spiritual warfare means taking up the Word of God and using it to fight the lies of my spiritual enemies. This might be for my own sake since Satan continually tries to thwart my prayers by whispering falsehoods about God, my salvation, and my relationship with Jesus Christ. This war can also be for the sake of others, the ones for whom I pray. This week, it has been both. 
 

Tuesday brought amazing answers to prayer for our daughter who was traveling. It also brought a request from a frightened neighbor whose daughter was in labor with her first baby. Then I was given devastating news about another family member whose life has fallen apart. 

I rejoiced concerning our daughter’s good news, prayed with the neighbor for her daughter whose baby was eventually delivered by caesarean, and tried to pray for the needy one in the family. Then the war began.

Wednesday was rough. I felt so heavy that I could not pray. Every time I tried, distractions pulled me away. My mind was all over the place, and even when that was not happening, the telephone was ringing. In the evening, we visited the one in so much trouble. He was talkative and while obviously in need, we gained insight into his situation and were better equipped for prayer. 

Yesterday was better. After praying for a while, I was able to do my chores and carry on. However, my body hurt and I felt very tired. Besides that, it seemed that everything I did was a waste of time. I’d prayed, but still had trouble concentrating and again felt like I could not pray.

This morning God encourages me to focus. My duties and other activities are not important compared to this battle to which He calls me. It is God’s will that I do not go AWOL.

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (Ephesians 5:15–17)

Time-management experts would apply this verse to the chore list of the day. Those who are Christian would advise me to seek the will of the Lord as I tackle my to-do list. In other words, they think (as I have thought), that time management for Christians is about using biblical principles to plan my day. However, I’m now convinced this has very little to do with chores and priorities regarding temporal responsibilities. The convincing phrase is, “because the days are evil.”

 

We prayed for our daughter without knowing at the time that her safety was threatened by tornados. By a matter of minutes, God got her out of danger and protected her from that evil. 

I prayed for my neighbor because her daughter and the breeched baby was threatened in childbirth. God protected her from evil also. The surgery went well and both mom and baby are fine.

We are still praying for the other family member because he is now, and has been, in grave mental, emotional and spiritual danger. He needs Jesus. The evil one does not want him to realize that. Our prayers are a battle against his lies and destructive power. 

These verses say that the days are evil because they are. Satan is alive and well and walking among us. He wants us to fall for his lies, trust them (and him) instead of Christ, and never secure forgiveness and eternal life. Making the best use of time is about wisely finding out the will of God and praying, “Thy will be done” to combat that evil that threatens our spiritual safety.

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Lord, it is 9:00 a.m. and this battle started almost two hours ago. I’m already weary. While You care about safety in travel and in childbirth, something even greater is at stake in this war. You promise renewed strength to those who wait on You. You also promise that Your strength is perfected in my weakness. I am waiting, but I am also weak. Whatever else is needed today, Your strength is up at the top of the list. I need You, not so I can get the laundry done, or so I can rightly prioritize my chore list, but so I can do battle for the souls of those I love and those for whom Christ died. Please, empower me today.