Life on mission is not always easy. You leave behind everything you know to step into things that you don’t. The only consistent thing in your life is Jesus. You have to completely lean into Him.
Life on mission also means that you learn a lot about yourself and the Lord reveals things to you that you had no idea impacted you and your walk with Christ. Recently, the Lord has been so kind in the way He has invited me to step into some unknowns and trust in Him. He has been so kind in the way He has shown me that though I may walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for He is with me. The Lord is my Shepherd and guides me to green pastures and quiet waters.
Knowing that I am walking through some difficult terrain, and healing from things of my past I am confident that the Lord is walking with me and that walking down the dark path often leads to greater glory to God. While I was reading John 11 the other day the words jumped off the page for the first time in a long time. The Lord so clearly said that sometimes He waits so that when He works a great work there is actually greater glory given to the Father.
In John 11, Jesus’ dear friend Lazarus, falls sick and dies. However, Jesus did not rush to His friend’s side when He heard of his falling ill, instead Jesus waited two days before going to Lazarus. Two whole days. Just like Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus, I questioned why Jesus would wait until Lazarus was dead in a grave before going to him. Why would Jesus put Martha and Mary through the pain of watching their brother die? I began to think about my own brother and how that must have felt. Truthfully, I can’t imagine what that will be like… even thinking about it while writing this post is bringing tears to my eyes. However, just when I was about to be moved to tears the Lord revealed His perfect plan.
The plan was never for Lazarus to stay dead. The plan was never for Mary and Martha to stay in pain. The plan was to do a great work. The plan was to raise His friend back to life. The plan was to bring more glory to the Father. The plan was to wait two days before going to Lazarus because that waiting turned a work of Christ into a great work.
Sometimes, in the pain of waiting and in the pain of experiencing things, the Lord waits to ease that pain for the greater glory of God. Sometimes walking through the valley of death is for something greater. Right now the Lord is being so kind in the way He is revealing the greater plan for this season of my life. As I begin walking through some dark things in my past, the Lord has been gracious in giving me the purpose behind this walk before I even begin it. He is standing hand in hand with me while He repeatedly tells me that walking in this darkness is good because He is right there with me and at the end of this walk I will end up seeing God in a much deeper way and experiencing His Love in a way that makes it all worth it
