"Practically Divine" - Week 3

“Lightening at the end of the tunnel” has been an interesting phrase to consider this week. As I’ve talked with different people about it, it seems we’ve all walked away with different opinions about what it actually means or how it applies to our lives.

I like the definition given on page 26, “what is meant by the phrase was that, as dark and as bad as it is right now, don’t lose your edge, because trouble may be up ahead.”

Well, that is good news! :)

Please read Mark 6. You can skim through if you’d like, because it is a long chapter. Also, I’m going to summarize the whole thing.

Talk about “lightening at the end of the tunnel,”

Jesus returned to His hometown of Nazareth and taught in the synagogue on the Sabbath. Even though He taught with authority and power, He was ridiculed and belittled as only “Mary’s son, the carpenter.” So Jesus left, went out to other villages, and taught other people (away from His family).

Next, Jesus chose 12 disciples and empowered them to heal and cast out demons. Before He sent them out to do amazing things, He gave them instructions about what to do when they were ridiculed, mistreated, or simply not welcomed. You know why He had to give them these instructions, right? YES! Because they’d be ridiculed, mistreated, and unwelcomed.

Right in the middle of the saga with His disciples, we get to read the incredibly awful story of how John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, was killed. King Herod was furious about Jesus’ popularity, and began to wonder if John the Baptizer had been raised from the dead after being beheaded by Herod only because his wife requested it. (If you haven’t read that story, please pause immediately and read Mark 6:14-29.)

The story picks up with the disciples returning after healing and casting out demons. They’d been able to do it all in Jesus’ name. But, they were exhausted and hungry, so Jesus suggested they go to a remote spot to rest. YAY!

However, the mob of people that heard about Jesus chased the boat along the shoreline and BEAT THE BOAT to the secluded spot. So, NO RESTING. Also, Jesus told His disciples to feed the crowd of people which numbered more that 5,000.

I’m rambling, I know. But, I’m trying to make a point. Does this all sound a little chaotic to you? Does it seem like Jesus’ followers get to the end of one tunnel only to find lightening instead of light?

Let’s keep going. Of course the disciples couldn’t feed over 5,000 people. They didn’t have enough food and certainly didn’t have enough money. Jesus asked them to bring Him what they had. He took it, blessed it, and it fed all the people with 12 baskets leftover.

Mark 6 ends with Jesus sent the disciples away on another boat. Jesus stayed behind. In the middle of the night, a giant storm came. The men in the boat were scared for their lives. Jesus walked out onto the water, told His friends not to fear, and joined them in the boat. Immediately the storm calmed.

The next morning, they made landfall at Gennesaret where more mobs chased them calling to Jesus, the healer. Everywhere He went, sick were placed on mats in the streets and asked Him to heal them. Everyone who touched Jesus was immediately healed.

Girls, I don’t know if that reads like a lot of tunnels or a lot of lightening to you, but none of it sounds like easy, smooth sailing. Life with Jesus is an adventure. I keep trying to make it safe and simple, but the Bible paints a different picture.

Do you feel ridiculed and belittled by your community or even your family?

Have you lost a family member or friend in an unexpected way?

Are you tired, worn out, and in need of rest but your people keep chasing you down?

Have you been asked to provide something for more people than you could imagine having resources for?

Or, are you sitting in the middle of a storm that has kicked up out of nowhere leaving you scared for your life or at least your sanity?

If you’ve answered “yes” to any of those questions like I have then we are in good company. Jesus lived an adventure during His time here on earth. His days were filled with “tunnels” and “lightening,” so we should expect the same.

Hang on, sweet sister, because He’s writing your story, too. The twists and turns and darkness and lightening are all working together for His glory and your good. That is just the way He works.

God, we are all living different stories. While we all wish we could simply trust You in every season, because You have definitely proven to be trustworthy, our humanity fails us. We get scared! We don’t like the dark tunnel, and we do not appropriately appreciate the lightening. We are wired to crave safety even though we find you in the adventure. Today, I pray that all of us will turn to You, hand over our fears, and agree to follow you (completely and obediently) all the way through and to the very end. Amen.