March 14

The Great Disruptor

“Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  ––Luke 22:42-44, nkjv

No one is so touched with a heartfelt sense of the Passion of Christ, as the man whose lot it has been to suffer like things. The cross, then, is always at hand, and everywhere awaits you. You cannot escape it, run where you will; for wherever you go, you take yourself with you, and you will always find yourself.  ––“The Imitation of Christ,” Thomas à Kempis

The disruptor to end all disruptors is Jesus Christ. He disrupted Satan in the desert; He disrupted him again in the Garden, and He disrupted him once and for all at the resurrection. When we get discouraged by the disruptions of life, we need to step back, take a deep breath, and ask the Holy Spirit for eyes to see what is truly happening.

It’s ironic how in our modern culture, people spend vast amounts of time, energy, and money to avoid or escape disruptions, trauma, schedule recovery, and compartmentalize pain. And if circumstances in our life turn rocky or difficult, we automatically assume we’ve done something wrong or that Satan is after us.

Man of God, sometimes we curse the enemy for disruptions placed in our path by the Father for our own good. Think of the proverbial child who gets too close to the stove: Though his parent may warn him about the flame, he’s got to experience it for himself. As God’s stubborn sheep, we do that too. We wander from the fold, get ourselves stuck in a ravine, and then curse the devil. Here’s great news though: Jesus tells us that we are His sheep, that He loves us, and that He will leave the 99 to recover the one that has wandered away. (See John  10: 27-28; Matthew 18:12-14.)

Sometimes crappy stuff happens and it’s not our own stubbornness or bad choices that led us into it. But man of God, there’s amazing news here: whether the problem is your fault or not, it can still be the raw stuff God needs to deepen your faith, increase your empathy, and open your eyes to needs around you.

There’s nothing wrong with a life of contentment and peace. However, I have rarely seen men become spiritually mature without having to first confront massive challenges that force them to invite God into the process of forward movement. Sometimes we come to that point of surrender of our own volition, but oftentimes we have to first exhaust all of our own gifts, talents, and energies before we realize that we can’t do it using only our own tools. We need Him. We need His.

When disruption comes, see it for what it is: An opportunity to surrender the crud you are going through to a God who will use it to both grow you and to expand His kingdom. He doesn’t expect us to like it. Look at Jesus in the Garden—He asked the Father to remove the cup (His suffering), but He also surrendered the circumstances to His Father. Jesus did not want to suffer; you are not “less than holy” if you squirm on the altar.

The one thing I know for certain, however, is that when we reach our Rubicon, God will be faithful to carry us across—no matter what is waiting on the other side.

Lord, I hate pain, but I love You. Please use the disruptions in my life to help me grow closer to You and to become a better man.