The best is yet to come - hopefully!

One of the advantage’s of being older is that you have a longer view of life, a greater overall perspective and the wisdom that comes from having seen many things at least once before.

The disadvantages are that it can feel like the best has already happened and a slight worry that you did not make the most of those times; that it is all downhill from now on.

In my own life, the previous seasons such as having young children at home has long gone. One of the times I enjoyed very much was when our children were grown up and they had not yet, or were only just, married or had their own children. We did some really fun things together as adults. Those days are gone but now we are in the completely different yet wonderful season of having young grandchildren with all the joys and noise that it brings!

In my spiritual life I can look back on the wonder of when we were first saved and lapping up every morsel about our newfound faith.  Later there were the amazing days when God’s Spirit was poured out in a sovereign move in the Christian school where I worked. Then came the incredible meetings following the Toronto outpouring when we lingered in God’s presence and felt God’s love in manifest ways. One of highlights of my middle age was taking young people on short-term mission and now in later life when there is still much to give there can nevertheless be a feeling that the best is past.

I wonder whether the disciples felt like that. Did they look back fondly on the wonderful days when Jesus first called them from the fishing nets and tax booth? Did they remember with longing the incredible crowds and when they were first sent out to do the Master’s work? As they felt the opposition to Jesus grow and the fear that their beloved Master was going to be crucified did they look back with longing for the early days?  As the horror of Jesus’ death unfolded did a terrible feeling that the best was past overwhelm them?

But with the benefit of hindsight we know that for the disciples the best was still to come. There were still crowds to be preached to, nations to evangelise, miracles to perform and the joy of persecution and martyrdom following in Jesus’ footsteps. (For us Western Christians that may seem an odd thing to say but read James 1: 3 and Matthew 5: 11 – 12).

The wisdom that comes from walking with God for over 30 years is a valuable resource. There is the knowledge and wisdom that comes from reading the Bible and praying through some of the difficult times in our own lives, in those around us and especially in the church. Finally there is the faith and trust in God that has been built, honed and refined through the good times and especially the not so good times. These are great assets which God will not let rust or wither.

Therefore I must turn my eyes from the past, refuse any lingering regret and fix my eyes firmly on Jesus believing that despite the passing years, the inability to do all I used to do, the stiffness in my joints, my spirit is increasingly alive to the possibility of all God can and will do to those who submit themselves to him and trust him to open fresh doors and opportunities.

So may I encourage you that if you are in the prime of life to make the most of every day and opportunity and if, like me, your prime is a distant memory then join me in putting your best foot forward, even if it is arthritic and determining to boldly go where you have not been before because the best is yet to come.

The Passover Sabbath

We do not know much about the Passover Sabbath (the Saturday) of that Easter week but we can glean something of what was happening from the Gospels. As evening drew near on Friday, Joseph of Arimethea went to Pilate to ask for Jesus’ body and Pilate granted it to him. Joseph took the body wrapped it in linen and placed it in a new tomb near to the site of the crucifixion. He then rolled a big stone in front of the tomb and went home. Some of the ladies watched all of this before also going home (Matthew 27: 57 – 61).

The Sabbath started at dusk on Friday and ran till dusk on Saturday. For 24 hours they all rested as commanded by the law. (Luke 23: 56). No one had any anticipation of Jesus’ rising from the dead. For all the disciples and the ladies this must have been a terrible day. If you have lost anyone dear to you for the first few days you can feel devastated. But for the disciples this was Jesus, the Messiah, that had been crucified like a common criminal and yet he had done nothing wrong.

Added to their intense grief must have been extreme bewilderment and anger especially aimed at the chief priests and leaders of the Jewish people. We know they were behind locked doors, fearful of the Jews (John 20: 19). I expect they had great difficulty eating anything on that Sabbath and the one word running round and round in their minds must have been ‘Why?’ Why did he die, why did he allow them to kill him, why had it happened? Why? Why? Why?  I wondered if anyone mentioned that Jesus had said he would be raised from the dead. There was certainly no expectation from anyone when the ladies went to anoint the bodies with spices on the first day of the week. All the disciples struggled to believe he had been raised even when they were told it by eye witnesses.

There was however one rather surprising group who remembered that Jesus had said he would be raised from the dead on the third day. In Matthew 27: 62 we read, the next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate, ‘Sir,’ they said, ‘we remember that while he was alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ The only people who remembered what Jesus had said he would rise on the third day were the very people who had arranged to have him crucified. Now they were determined to make sure he stayed dead and no one could steal his body from the tomb and say he had risen.

It is amazing that the religious leaders went to Pilate on the Sabbath – it was prohibited by the law to do any work on the Sabbath and this must surely be classified as work, but they were so worried about a possible resurrection – real or fake – that they persuaded Pilate to seal and put a guard on the tomb. Again they missed the point that if someone is really raised from the dead, a stone over the door of the tomb – sealed or not – will not be an obstacle to the miracle.

The disciples were people just like you and me and yet they did not remember or recognise what God was doing even when he had clearly told them before hand what would happen. In the same way we may have forgotten or not understood some things that God has said to us in the past. Today let us encourage ourselves by re-visiting personal or church prophecies or Scriptures that we may have forgotten or have not yet come to pass. Let us ask God to open our eyes to what he is doing and bring fresh revelation to us to day so we will be ready and prepared for anything that may come in the days ahead.