Unbelievably trusting
While in worship at Healing Rooms recently, the thought came to me of just how trusting the Lord is with us humans.
Right from the garden of Eden, His plan has been for us to co-labour with Him to bring about His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
The first ‘commission’ given to the initial occupants of planet earth was:- “Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves on the earth” Gen 1:28 NKJV.
He trusted ‘us’ with His newly created world. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have done that. I would have them on ‘L plates’ for a few generations just to make sure they didn’t ruin the perfect environment I’d just created. (Aren’t you glad I’m not God 😊)
It was man’s responsibility to be good stewards of the planet, to look after it and multiply. We know of course with the benefit of hindsight, we as humans have not been trustworthy and right from the fall of man, detailed only two chapters later we have been missing the mark and making a mess of things ever since with modern times only shouting we are getting far worse!
Fast forward to Jesus’ short ministry on planet earth. From the very start of His public ministry He was training, equipping and releasing ‘raw recruits’ many of whom were ordinary, uneducated men to do the work of the kingdom. He sent the twelve (Luke 9:1-5) and the seventy two (Luke 10:1-9) out with fairly basic instructions – ‘tell them the kingdom has come near them, heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons” (Matt 10:7-8).
He trusted them to ‘do the work’ and they came back excited that even the demons submitted to them.
Notwithstanding man’s poor track record right through history, His plan remains the same. He trusts us to build the kingdom and of course many times we get it wrong. We open our mouths prior to engaging our brain and say things we shouldn’t, (well I do anyway), we are quick to speak and slow to listen in direct contradiction to James’ instructions to us (Jam 1:19) and yet He STILL trusts us to be His arms, legs and spokespersons despite our many shortcomings. What an amazingly trusting Father!
Following His Resurrection, Jesus told those gathered to wait until they were endued with power and ‘re-commissioned’ them, (prior to receiving this empowering of the Holy Spirit) to go into all the world, preach the gospel and heal the sick promising them and by implication us, He’d be with us always. Further, He also restored Peter who had denied him three times in Jesus’ greatest time of need which to my mind demonstrates once again just how trusting He is of us.
May I encourage all of us with this final thought. This amazing trust He has put in us as His children surely is worthy of nothing less than giving our all to Him and surrendering once again with a heart attitude that says “Father use me in any way you choose. I will go where you send me and do what you ask of Me for the glory of your great Name!”