Down at the Crossroads
Posted by Dion Todd February 4th, 2024 2,900 Views 0 Comments
Down at the Crossroads from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.
(Isaiah 55:8–9 NKJV) "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts."
Trying to understand why God does something is a crossroads that everyone comes to at some point, and it causes many people to stumble. We don't know, nor can we understand everything God is, what He is doing, or why He does it. That can become a stumbling point if you can't let it go and continue until a time when He chooses to tell you.
God is the Creator, while we are the "created." We can't make an image of Him, for it will only become an idol. We can't package Him up, for He is a living Entity and, with a whisper, could pack us up in a coffin. God is not a pet, nor is He tame. And though we love our nativity scenes, Jesus is not a baby. He did His role as a suffering Servant, but the next time He returns to Earth, it will be as the reigning King and people's hearts will fail them because of fear.
(Revelation 19:11–12 NKJV) Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.
(Revelation 19:16 NKJV) And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
The world loves a reasonable, anemic Messiah. Harmless. Poor Jesus hanging crucified on a cross, or a baby laying in a manger. What it will receive at His second coming will be the exact opposite, a Jesus that all the armies of Earth won't be able to stop.
On the dawn of judgment day, the opportunity to embrace God's grace will have passed. Throughout our lifetimes, we are offered countless chances to accept His love, yet those who turn away until the last moment will discover the door to eternity was sealed last night. There will be no room for last-minute repentance or change of heart.
(Luke 17:26–27 NKJV) And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
The instant Jesus Christ returns, there will be the saved, and the damned. A great feast called the supper of the Great God, will begin soon after. The bodies of those who have not accepted salvation will be the main course of the event, while their souls will be thrown into the lake of fire.
(Revelation 19:17–18 NKJV) Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, "Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great."
(Revelation 20:15 NKJV) And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
That will be an interesting day! But back to the message, many people come to a crossroads in their faith when they can't understand why something is happening in their lives, and often, there is just no logical explanation. It has happened to me. Yet, when we don't know what He is doing, we have to trust Him. Even when things inside of us want to scream, and when He lets you do that without saying a word.
One year, our computer business dried up, and we couldn't find work anywhere. We prayed, gave, fasted, and advertised, but things only grew worse. When I would pray and ask the Lord about it, He wouldn't say anything. There was only silence. It continued until we began packing to move out of our house. Then, by the end of that week, a door opened for me to become a pastor.
His plans are layered and complicated, with many living parts that fit together. But the simple fact is that sometimes He doesn't tell us why He is doing something. The week before He pushed us into ministry, it was the furthest thing from my mind. Clark W. Griswold told cousin Eddie in the movie Christmas Vacation:
"If I woke up in the morning with my face sewn to the carpet, Eddie, I would not be more surprised than I am right now."
That is the way that I felt about suddenly being in ministry. But before He opened that door, there was a long dark time when He said nothing at all. Think of the silence as a dramatic pause, for the next thing He said was deeply significant, and then a door opened. Jesus said this:
(Luke 18:17 NKJV) Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."
Children completely depend on their parents to take care of them. When a person enters the kingdom of God, it will not be because they were a successful preacher. It will not be because they were a good steward or a faithful spouse and parent. It will not be because they were kind, loving people who smiled a lot. When they enter the kingdom of God, it will be because they came to Christ as a helpless child who trusted Him.
(Romans 8:28 NKJV) And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
You don't have to understand what God is doing in your life today. Just trust that He will make the right decision. In the end, all things will work out for good. Feel free to tell Him, "Lord, I don't understand what's going on, but I know that somehow You are going to take care of me." He is the Potter. We are the clay. So let Him carry the burden of how all of this will work out.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, You know all things, and nothing is hidden from You. You are the Potter. I am the clay. I choose to trust You with my life. Please mold me and make me as You see fit. I am Yours. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!