Culturally Irrelevant

In this journey with Jesus, some things come by faith alone, some by adding covenant relationships to that faith, some by long perseverance in those relationships, and still some things are not for us but for another generation.

I’ve had quick victories that take only days or months by standing in faith on a promise. I’ve also experienced deliverance or blessing because I was faithful to covenant relationships and depended on other people instead of trying to go it alone. In this season of life, faith and faithfulness to covenant relationships have not brought the breakthrough. Sometimes God says wait. No explanation, just relax and let the thing bake all the way through. Getting up earlier, charging up our confession, giving more or praying harder isn’t going to speed up the process.

Beyond this, I can see other promises that we may never experience. These things are for our kids and the generations after them. We’re called to believe these promises just as much, nurture them just as much and persevere for them just as much, even though we’ll never taste them for ourselves. That’s the example I see in the Bible from Abraham to Jesus to Paul. All of them became broken bread and poured out wine, layed out for the service of others, spent for the building up of those who would carry the baton after them. Abraham left his home and everything he knew so that generations after him could have a home and experience God’s blessing. Paul went hungry so that others could eat, was weak so that others could become strong. Jesus gave up his life so that we could have eternal life.

This goes against everything we’ve been taught to expect out of life. Against our hard-wired wants, needs and deep desires. Against what makes us feel safe and respected. Somehow I don’t think Jesus would have used Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as part of his PowerPoint presentation for the mature follower!

I wonder what was going through Mary’s mind as she laid the Savior of the world in a feed trough in the middle of a dirty barn. It’s odd, isn’t it? Why didn’t the Father give them more provision to take proper care of his own Son, the Messiah that had been prophesied about for thousands of years? Or at least there should have been room for them in the inn.