Darkness before the Dawn....Yes I'm going to blog about it

You know what struck me this morning as I have been pondering: Darkness comes before dawn.  Death comes before the resurrection.  That Friday on the Hill had to be a heart wrenching time.  It had to devastating for disciples to see their leader, their friend, their Lord hanging naked nailed to a tree.  He was being spit on, mocked, misunderstood, made fun of.  Can you even fathom?  This was their Savior.  This was the one they had left family, jobs, their lives for.  Yet he died.  They didn't have the luxury of the rest of the story.  They didn't have the perspective we have.  They just knew he had died.  They must have wondered, "Is this really it....is this the way it ends?"  They had to be so disillusioned.  They had to be confused.  They had to have questions, doubts, fears.....can you even imagine?

Yet we, thank God, know that Sunday is coming.  I am so grateful I live today and get to know the end!  I love the perspective of time.  This reminds me constantly that I don't know the whole story.  Especially in the midst of it.  However I do know that God is always working out his redemptive plan.  Always.  It reminds me when things are dark......when I am confused.....when I have doubts and questions and fears.....He holds the answers.  He holds The End.  And He IS FAITHFUL.  I don't have to know why and I don't have to understand how.  I just need to cling to him.  I don't have to be understood.  I don't have to be right.  I don't even have to be heard.  I don't have to defend.  I just need to cling to him. I need to cling to him....and die to myself.  It is ALL about him.   It is all about His plan.  It is not about me.  It is not about my best theories.  It is not about the law versus grace.  Republican versus Democrat versus Libertarian.  It is not about contemporary verses traditional.  It is not about Sunday School versus Small Groups....it's not even about pews verses chairs...:)  It is ALL about Jesus and his redemptive gospel. 

So this Good Friday....I am thankful.  I am thankful that in the darkness He has proven faithful.  I am thankful that I have God's Word and that I know the resurrection is coming.  I am thankful that we don't have to agree, we don't have to understand, we don't have to be right.  We just need to cling to the Redeemer.  He is right.  He understands us better then we understands ourselves.  He understands when we want to reach sinners with grace and he understands when we want to be a light in a dark world for his truth.  I think he loves the hearts of his people when they are passionate and rightly motivated.  However how Satan would love to use this to divide.  To destroy.  To ruin.  He would love to side track us on political differences and worship style differences, and personality differences.  Yet Jesus is the one who restores the ancient ruins.  He can restore broken relationships, shattered hopes, crushed dreams.  It may not look how we hoped.  It may not be where we want.  It may not be when we want.  It may not be how we want....but when life is dark.....we can cling to him because we know Joy comes!  He has a plan.  He can handle it and yes today may be dark.......But Sunday is coming.  Praise the Lord who lived to die and died so that we may live.  His plans are good even when they look bad.  He can be trusted.  I am praying for a restoration.  I am praying for hearts to be soft.  I am praying for redemption.  I am praying for peace.  I am praying for healing.  I am praying God will be glorified in how we live as individuals and as a body.  The world is watching.  The lost are looking.  May we be found face down clinging to TRUTH: Jesus is the redeemer!  It is all about him.  Yes today is dark.......but Sunday is coming!

Love,
Kim