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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion February 26, 2007 What Am I Going To Do Now? |
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Frontline Devotion for Monday, February 26, 2007 by Fritz Foltz
Mark 1: 35-45
The gospels periodically mention Jesus going off by himself to pray, but they seldom report his words. Those we know and the context of others lead me to think his prayers usually began with, “What am I going to do now?”, followed by a discernment of God’s will, and concluded with a struggle to accept it.
At this point, his ministry got off to a bad start when his family and friends rejected his calling. If I’m right, he then went off to ask, “What am I going to do now?” and decided God wanted him to take the message to other Galilean towns.
You do not have to accept my interpretation as the gospels are not explicit about most of his prayers’ content. If you see Jesus completely in control of events as he carefully lays out plans for his ministry, you might seek another explanation. However, the picture of the Holy Spirit’s work in the rest of the New Testament would seem to support me. Our faith spread throughout the Roman Empire as the early Christians changed course in response to events such as rejection, persecution, expulsion, and failure.
We see that again at the end of this lesson. Jesus is forced to move on when a leper refused to follow his instructions. Rather than keeping silent so Jesus can control events, he reports his cure to everyone. That created so many requests for special favors that Jesus had to ask once more, “What am I going to do now?”
Many of us spend a lot of time as individuals and communities planning the future. We agonize over making correct decisions, assuming we can remain in control if we choose the right option. When things do not go as we want, we ask, often in desperation, “What am I going to do now?”
Faith is trusting God when we realize a great deal of life is beyond our control. It allows God to lead us in new directions when our plans fail. Sometimes it is a relief to know God makes some decisions for us. At other times it is comforting to know he can change our failures into successes.
There are bound to be times this Lent when circumstances prevent you from completing your carefully thought out plans. Pray then to have the courage to follow when God provides another direction.
Let us pray: Grant me courage, Father, to act for the common good of all people, and grant me faith to trust your care when my actions fail. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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