Have you ever secretly wondered if God had gone on vacation? You keep sending up prayers, but heaven’s hollow silence refuses to reply. Maybe you picture Him somewhere off-duty, a lei around His neck, while you wrestle to face hardship alone.
Or maybe you see the Almighty answering others’ prayers; just not yours. He hasn’t taken a break from working miracles; He’s just not granting them to you.
Have you ever endured seasons of pleading when it appeared God was not heeding? Have you suffered through periods of apparently senseless repeating your need, while God—though capable—was not meeting it? Have you gone through times of imploring when it seemed God was ignoring?
The wait in prayer often drags on.
The disciples could relate to this ache and despair. They had been so certain Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah. They had sensed it in their hearts when He called them from their mundane worlds to follow Him. Their hearts pounded as they abandoned their nets, their tax collection stands, their families and hurried to His side.
The disciples’ hearts confirmed Christ’s divinity when they heard His poignant teachings. He left the most learned Pharisees stunned, mouths agape as He answered their riddles. He made the spiritual realm lucid through tales of pearls and seeds and yeast.
Any doubts regarding Jesus’ Lordship were removed when He healed the blind, fed the hungry 5,000 from one boy’s lunch, and raised Lazarus from the dead!
But then Jesus was arrested.
He lost a popularity contest with Barabbas and was convicted of blasphemy. He was hung on a cross like a common criminal. He was whipped and mocked and abandoned. Unlike the displays of power the disciples had grown accustomed to seeing, Jesus’ response was silence and submission. He hung and gasped and died.
The disciples were left to wonder how they could have been so duped.
They had believed so thoroughly that Jesus was the promised King, the Jews’ deliverer, the chosen race’s redemption. But when the time came for Him to assume that authority, He was impotent to do so (they thought).
Maybe Jesus wasn’t the Messiah after all. Or maybe God had gone on vacation, abandoning them to face their hardships alone.
Where was God? Why hadn’t things gone according to (their) plan?
So they gathered and talked. They thought and they prayed. What would they do with themselves now that this man they had wagered everything upon was gone?
Hope had been buried with Jesus.
Of course, we know the rest of the glorious story. It turns out that God was far from silent those three drawn-out days. He was answering humanity’s cry for restoration. He was paying for our sins. He was ushering us back into relationship with the Father. He was answering every prayer.
As we prepare for Easter this month, you may be facing trials that dim your perspective of the resurrection. You may want to sing “He Arose,” but feel like your hope is still buried. You may wear your new dress and shoes, but feel like a facade, wondering if Jesus will show up for you.
Take heart, dear friend. And take a cue from the disciples. They will tell you that the scene that seems the very darkest is actually the setting for resurrection power on display.
This month, as you pray for The Boaz Project, please remember to:
- Thank God for His global church as it celebrates His resurrection. Many believers must do this in secret, risking their lives to worship their risen Lord.
- Praise God for the outpouring of generosity toward Pastor Christopher as he meets the demands of the department of women and children in order to keep the boys in his care.
- Thank God for the houseparent training which took place in India last month, encouraging and equipping our partners in orphan care.
- Acknowledge God’s hand of protection over April and Michaela as they were ushered through immigration as they left India.
- Ask God to continue to provide every resource needed to care for orphans in Russia, India, and Kenya.
Saturday, May 4
9am
The Gathering Place, Greenwood, IN
This event includes:
- Family Fun Zone
- New Course
- Professional chip timing for the 5K
- A tech tee-shirt with pre-registration (cotton blend youth sizes)
- Option to walk, run, or sleep in!
- Finish line celebration with awards, live music, and snacks
We hope you will join us on Saturday, May 4, 2019, at The Gathering Place in Greenwood!
Register here: https://boazproject.org/5k
