“If
it were possible, let this cup pass from me.
Nevertheless, Your will, and not mind.”
Let me tell
you a story: I was 6-7 years old…. My mom called me home, “Time for Dinner
Scott”… I ran home… Before I even opened the door… his terrible odor met me!
I’ve had never smelled anything quite so gross! I went to the kitchen, looked into the frying pan on the stove,
and asked my mom what this awful stuff was!! She introduced me to “fried
liver.” I then asked her what I would
be eating; she assured me that I WOULD be eating the liver!
Not ONLY did she set a plate of liver in
front of me… she added some little green things called ‘lima beans’. Setting at
the table, in tears, I asked this question: “Why do I have to eat this
stuff??” My mother explained that it
was “because it is good for you!”
I am convinced that God had no hand in liver
or lima beans!! I am of the same
opinion today, as I was then; it’s gross!
Sometimes,
from time to time, as a loving Father, God serves up some liver & lima
beans! He begins to dish up some stuff
and serves it to us. It looks awful,
tastes terigble, and we don’t want anything to do with it! And God says: “eat
this, it’s good for you.”
There are
tests and trials in this world that we would really rather not experience, but
they come. John 16:33 says it like
this:
33: These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have
peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have
overcome the world.”
Not all tests
and trials are from the enemy… sometimes God knows what we need…. Just like a
loving Father does. Heb 12:6 “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth
every son whom he receiveth.”
They
are in the garden, just hours away from Jesus being crucified. (John 12:32. 32: And I, if I be lifted up
from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”)
People
had waited for years for this time… just hours away… and they were asleep!
I’d
like to parallel this event, with the church today.
I
believe we are close to seeing God glorified once again. My question is: Are we asleep?
I Chronicles 12:32
32: “And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of
the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred;
and all their brethren were at their commandment.”
This
speaks of Men who understood what Israel should do at that time. They had heard from God; they had a
prophetic insight, they knew what God had in mind.
I
believe we need that kind of insight today. I also believe God is raising the
prophetic up again, in the church.
There
is a chance, because of the weight of the press, that people will sleep. Most
people sleep at night… when there is an absence of light.
Mosses
led the children of Israel following a cloud by day, and a fire by night.
Not
every place the cloud and the fire led the children were desirable. But there
was a covering. And in the absence of light, He gave them illumination.
When we simply follow God, no matter where He
is leading, there is still a covering.
When it seems like we are in a dark place, He gives us illumination; An
insight and an understanding of what he’s up to.
He
may draw you away from friends and family; it might feel like he’s sent you
into isolation, into a desert… but it is simply a time that He wants to teach
you, to prepare you, to cover you and to give you insight and understanding of
His plans.
When
the unpleasant times come we immediately blame it on the enemy. I know that some do not agree, and many do
not want to hear it, but I believe that: sometimes it is God, applying a little
pressure. The “press” is to bring out
the pure oil on the inside!
Mat 5:13-14 “Ye are the salt of the
earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It
is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under
foot of men.
14: Ye are
the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.”
God
wants us to be like Jesus. So we go
through some times of pressing.
Are
we asleep? Are we not seeing what God is doing today?
Are
we Dull to the things He is up to?
It’s
too bad, that we can get to the place of being Numb, or cold to the things of
God, As in the garden of Gethsemane.
“Olive
Oil” Comes from olives. The oil is clear, pure, and costly. To get that oil,
the black olives have to be broken, crushed, bruised. Then the paste is pressed, to get the oil.
We
can liken the olive oil to the Holy Spirit. The spirit of God that lives within
the heart of the believer. It’s the
thing inside of you that God wants. The
things that man can’t see. Perhaps the things that even you do not see.
Olives
are pretty easy to come by, and inexpensive to buy. Olive oil, on the other
hand is several times that amount. You
can’t even see that oil! It does not
have a pleasant odor or taste. Yet, it is the product most sought out.
There
is a greater cost on what is inside of us, and this is what God is after.
I
believe that God allows some of these times, to develop us, to form us, to
direct us, and to mold us into the image of His Son, Jesus.
It
is the weight, the press that causes some to ‘sleep’. They can’t handle it – so they tune out, and sleep through
it.
We
can Turn a deaf ear, spiritually, or be numb to the things of God. The disciples did that in the garden, just
before Jesus was going to be glorified.
If
God is getting ready to release His Glory on the church, and I believe He is,
it will effect those who need the Lord. Is the church ready to minister to
them? We have to be ready; God is busy
getting us ready!
Vs 40: “when He returned they were
asleep, because their eyes were heavy (waited
down).
Eyes
= “Vision” or the insight God has given you.
Because
things are not going the way we want them to go; Because we want OUT of boot
camp; Because we don’t like the weight of the press... We sleep! We have a choice.
Jesus
takes the disciples to the place of the press…. Jesus said: set here, wait,
and endure it. Don’t let that
weight affect the thing God has planted into your life.
When
I ate the liver & lima beans, the only way I could eat the nasty stuff, was
with a lot of water to wash it down!
(haven’t eaten it again!!)
The
Word of God is like that “Water” we need a LOT of it, especially in the times
are ‘eyes are heavy’ and we want to sleep.
The
way to handle what is going on…. Is with the Word! Get at the feet of Jesus, know the Word, Depend on it - Trust it!
God
bless you,
