When Jesus was deserted by all his disciples and everyone wanted him to be crucified, it was his darkest night, and it was marked by one crisis after another.
Jesus saw unanswered prayer - He appealed and called out to God with an urgent cry of help, but there was only deafening silence.
Jesus saw unfruitful service - the very people He came to earth to save were demanding His arrest.
Jesus saw unbelievable betrayal by the disciples - they knew Him and had followed Him everywhere, and yet they did nothing to defend Him.
All the disciples pledged loyalty, and yet all ran away. From the outside looking in, all we see is betrayal. The disciples have left him. The people have rejected him. And God didn't hear him. Never has so much trash been dumped on one being. From a human point of view, Jesus' world has collapsed. No answer from heaven, no help from the people, no loyalty from his friends.
But that's not how Jesus saw it. He saw something else entirely. He wasn't oblivious to the trash; he just wasn't limited to it. Somehow he was able to see the good in the bad, the purpose in the pain, and God's presence in the problem.
We could use a little of Jesus' 20/20 vision, because we live in a trashy world. Unwanted garbage comes our way on a regular basis. We, too, have unanswered prayers and unfruitful dreams and unbelievable betrayals. What are we going to do with that?
Seeing what Jesus sees
You have several options. You could hide it. You could take the trash bag and cram it under your coat and pretend it isn't there. But you won't fool anyone. Sooner or later it will start to stink.
If you follow the example of Christ, you will learn to see tough times differently. God wants you to have a hope-filled heart... just like Jesus. Christ found good in the bad. It would help if we did the same. Those who betray us are victims of a fallen world. We needn't place all the blame on them. Jesus found enough good in the face of Judas to call him friend, and he can help us do the same with those who hurt us.
Christ found purpose in the pain. He chose to see his immediate struggle as a necessary part of a greater plan - necessary turbulence in the plan of God. Where others saw grey skies, Jesus saw a divine order. His suffering was necessary to fulfill prophecy, and his sacrifice was necessary to fulfill the law.
Wouldn't you love to have a hope-filled heart? Wouldn't you love to see the world through the eyes of Jesus? Where we see unanswered prayer, Jesus saw answered prayer. Where we see the absence of God, Jesus saw the plan of God. Don't underestimate God's power - He can change the way you look at life.
God never promises to remove us from our struggles. He promises to change the way we look at them. The apostle Paul dedicates a paragraph to listing trash bags: troubles, problems, sufferings, hunger, nakedness, danger, and violent death. There are the very Dumpsters of difficulty we hope to escape. Paul, however, states their value.
"In all these things we have full victory through God." Rom 8:35-37
God can correct your vision. The solution is not to avoid trouble but to change the way we see our troubles.
"Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles, and pray at all times." - Romans 12:12
'Just like Jesus' - by Max Lucado
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