|
It wasn’t the best afternoon of my life.
I went into the medical facility for a routine 10 minute test. Because it wasn’t hot or cold, and because the hospitals are still limiting people as much as possible due to ongoing COVID, I had my husband stay in the car listening to music. Though it was mid-afternoon, there hadn’t been time for lunch and we were both hungry. The procedure was indeed 10 minutes. The wait, however, was nearly two hours. I was crippled by worry for my husband, for fear he would try to look for me and get lost, or he would be too hot/cold/hungry, etc. And because I had left him my phone for listening to music, I had no way of contacting him. And indeed, he was just getting out of the car to look for me when I finally left the building…
An hour and some lunch later, he lost two of my credit cards while going into a local store. I spent an hour on the phone trying to cancel the first card, only to be told that because he is the primary card holder and the afternoon’s events had left him confused and unable to communicate, they wouldn’t cancel my card. I panicked. I let myself get very, very upset because I realized his dementia had progressed to the place where I needed to get a legal power of attorney for me to handle the finances.
Why did I get so upset about these two things?
It’s human you say. And I thank you for understanding. And I know God understands my humanity as well. But I think the reason for getting upset is far deeper than this…
We know that Jesus led a perfect life: “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest … Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:14-15 NKJV). How did He do this?
He’s the Son of God, you say. And true enough.
Yet the Bible says He faced every temptation we do: “…but was in all points tempted as we are…” (Hebrews 4:15a NKJV). Was there something special about Him being God’s son that made Him stronger against temptation than we are?
Again, I think it goes far deeper than this…
Jumping ahead in Hebrews to chapter 5, we see this: “… though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.” (Vs. 8 NKJV). Jesus didn’t have any kind of an advantage over us! He had to learn obedience the same as we do!
How did He do this? “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.” (Hebrews 5:7 NIV)
If Jesus Himself, the Son of God, was only able to surmount temptation by offering up fervent cries and tears to God, then how much more do we, who are weak, need to follow His example! And He didn’t just do this in times of great need. It was His habit to pray, even all night (See Luke 6:12, Mark 1:35, Luke 5:16, etc)!
What if we spent even half as much time as Jesus in prayer? Perhaps I wouldn’t have had such an upsetting day, and perhaps you would be able to weather the problems thrown at you a bit better as well!
Could this be the secret to living a life patterned after Jesus Christ? The secret to living the Jesus life we are called to live (See 1 Peter 2:21)?
Think about it!
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart
Author, Moderator, Associate Director, Answers2Prayer Ministries
|
