Do I Hear a Rooster? (John 13:38)
Within the past twenty-four hours, three scary images make me wonder if I hear a rooster crow. (John 13:38) From
- A CNN news report – a small child wailing beside their severely injured mother, in the aftermath of the attack on the Brussels airport.
- An AP photo of a young Christian boy on the Ivory Coast of Africa shot dead for not embracing Islam.
- Another newswire photo, an image of our President doing a tango in Argentina.
All amidst the reported words of the contenders for the U.S. presidency . . .
It is not the best of times.
But it is not the worst, either . . .
It is a day given to me, and to thee, to live either with God, revealed in Christ, or without Him — under His will, or our own.
How do I live with these images of events so distant, but oh so close?
Maybe it’s a good time to read Jeremiah . . . remembering especially chapter 45. God is in the business of building and tearing down – planting and uprooting – and it’s not like He hasn’t given fair warning.
Maybe I need to visit the Psalms? Psalm 39 is a wise place to rest:
I said to myself, “I will watch what I do
and not sin in what I say.
Today is Maundy Thursday – I never knew what the word Maundy meant. It is derived from the Latin word for “command.” The “Maundy” in “Maundy Thursday” refers to the command Jesus gave to the disciples at the Last Supper, that they should love and serve one another. (a definition)
So, today, I will read John 13, remembering the Lord washed all the disciples’ feet showing us the intimacy and care that loving service is. And Christ the Lord alone knew what was coming . . . because none of the twelve were the faithful servants they thought themselves to be.
And neither am I. It’s still just as easy to deny Him when trouble hits.
I am glad chapter 13 in John’s account isn’t the end of the story, or the only description of what happened in that upper room. ( Luke 22:31) I am grateful to be able to pray for what I can’t believe is happening to our nation and world. God willing we have time still to be useful to anyone God puts in our path.
Patience and [self-] control cannot be built on a self-centered life. ~ C. John Miller