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Even In Our Weakness
Andrea Lende • April 6, 2020
Mark 15:72
Even In Our Weakness
You can also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Even-in-Our-Weakness-ecfg79
Daily Word:
Mark 15:72
“And at once for the second time the cock crowed. And Peter remembered how Jesus said to him, Before a cock crows twice, you will utterly deny Me [disclaiming all connection with Me] three times. And having put his thought upon it [and remembering], he broke down and wept aloud and lamented.”
I am thankful that my reading this holy week takes me to the exact week of Jesus’ last week on this earth and His journey to the cross.
As I read this chapter this morning, I was struck with all the events that took place.
All the scripture that was fulfilled.
Jesus had His Last Supper with His disciples.
He spoke and brought the new covenant to them.
It would be the last time He would spend time with them all together.
He told them that He would be taken to the cross soon.
His disciples said they would follow Him even unto death.
However, He knew they would all desert Him that night.
Of course, we know that He told Peter he would deny Him three times.
We know the story well.
And yet, Matthew 16:18 says, “And I tell you, you are Peter [Greet, Petros – a large piece of rock], and on this rock [Greek, petra – a huge rock like Gibraltar] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades (the powers of the infernal region) shall not overpower it.”
I get chills when I read this verse.
Jesus is prophesying how the whole church will be built upon a rock as He exits the world.
He knows that Peter will be the rock.
He will usher in the Christian church – the church that we are now a part of.
How amazing that Jesus could rely on a traitor to build His church.
Reading about Peter and his ultimate denial of Jesus, I ponder how he must have felt during this time.
He must have been so very fearful as he watched His Lord being interrogated, beaten, and taken to the cross.
His heart must have been breaking.
To watch His beloved King being tormented and tortured to death as crucifixion is an extremely painful and long process.
He must have been horrified.
Still, he would be the rock that the church would be built upon.
Jesus knew this.
In Peter’s weakness, he renounced Jesus as a friend and as His Lord.
Jesus knows our every weakness.
He also knows how we will be used by Him in the future.
He knows His plans for us, and they are good.
He knows whose lives we will touch for His purposes.
He loves us through our faults and failures.
He gave His life so that we can be victorious in the end.
Our stories have been written by the Great I AM.
Today I choose to be thankful for the story that God has written about me and ask that He help me fulfill His plan for me in every way.
May you find that God has written a beautiful story for you and that His plans for you are magnificent.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for reminding me that You have written my story. You already know my faults and weaknesses and love me through them. Your plans for me are beautiful, and I need only to step into Your will to experience Your goodness. Help me sit in Your presence this morning, Father. Help me be restored and refreshed by You this day. Fill me with Your love and Your Holy Spirit so that I may be used by You, Lord. Thank You for showing me that my imperfections cannot keep me from Your glorious plan. Help me be obedient to You in every way, Father. Help me hear every whisper and follow You. May You lead and guide my every step today. Set a guard upon my mouth so that I only speak life to those around me. Help me build up their spirits and minds and not tear down. May Your peace be upon me and this household, Father. Keep us looking to You and seeking Your will. May we bend to You in every way. Thank You for watching over us and protecting us, Lord. Put Your compassion into our hearts so that we become Your servants. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM with you and your household this day and every day, and am watching over and protecting you, My child.
Response: Thank You most glorious and gracious God.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.