After telling that God
has the back of those who love Him, and that He is actively working
all things together for our good, Paul tells us part of that good.
It is that “whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be
conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn
among many brethren” (Romans 8:29). So He is using our struggles
to make us like Jesus and to be fruitful for the Kingdom. Bill
Prankard tells of a dream he had about the people God had used him to reach, in
the far north of Russia. In the dream they were in heaven, and his people
were running towards him with arms open to embrace. But they ran
right past him to embrace those who had supported Bill's very
expensive endeavour, or who had supported it in prayer. The point we
think the Lord is making, is that there will be no greater joy in
heaven, than knowing we have influenced others to be there,
either though our lives, our words, or through our prayers.
In the Messianic Psalm
2:8 we read “Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your
inheritance.” In Romans 8:17 we read that we are “joint heirs
with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be
glorified together.” So if we are joint heirs, then the nations
are our inheritance too. Note how this relates to Romans 8:28. I mean
that when we respond in faith, to trials, temptations and
difficulties the way Jesus did, we also share in the glory that is
reserved for Him. And whenever I think about sharing in His
sufferings, Philippians 3:10 comes to mind. Paul tells that he
counts all things loss that he “may know Him and the power of his
resurrection, and fellowship of His sufferings, becoming like him in
his death.” Most of us want the power, but not the suffering.
Well it’s only human, but we can’t have the one without the
other.
So how did Jesus
respond to suffering? Well for example “When they hurled insults at
Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats.
Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly” (1 Peter
2:23). Jesus is the only one who fully practiced what He preached.
He tells us “Love your enemies” (Matthew 5:24), and when they
pierced his hands and His feet with cruel spikes, He prays “Father
forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:24).
I am not there yet are you? I am not there yet, but I want to be, and
it starts by learning to respond His way to the “light and
momentary troubles [which] are achieving for us an eternal glory that
far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17). When we do
this, we ourselves are being transformed from one degree of glory
to another (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Father, in my
meditations on Paul’s prayer I'm not yet ready to move on to “the
exceeding greatness” of Your power towards us, but it strikes me
this morning, that most of us are far too timid in what we ask for
in our prayers. So Lord I want to be bold this morning, and ask for
the nations. Help us to dream big Lord, and ask for things that in
our own strength and resources, are totally impossible. Then when
You answer, we will know that “You are God” (i.e Exodus 6:7) in
Jesus Name Amen
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