Time to Think

Scripture: "Jesus entered Jerusalem and came into the temple; and after looking around at everything, He left for Bethany with the twelve, since it was already late." Mark 11:11

Observation: I am not sure of the order, but I am going to use my holy imagination on this. Jesus came into town. He went to the temple and looked around. He looked at everything. I wonder what He saw and what stirred inside of Him. It was late in the day, so he left. But then He came back. This time, He took action.

Application: Oh man do I hate that feeling. My wondering eyes encounter a scene that I wish I did not see. My heart races. My breath draws short as my blood boils. In the moment I feel equally compelled in two directions at once. Part of me desires to speak out. The rage inside of me is so strong; I just want to go off. I can envision what I would say and how I would say it. At the same time part of me desires to just leave. I feel like I might as well just let it be. What good will it do? Who am I to judge? What if it goes bad? What if I am wrong? The questions mount as I stand there in utter turmoil. It is rare that I have the wisdom to do what I feel like I see Jesus doing in this scripture; just step off and then come back and respond. I wonder what His prayer was like that night? I just think about the King of Glory laying on His face before God in prayer. "What do you want me to do Father?" Jesus pleaded. I wonder if God then countered with these words from Isaiah, "My house shall be called a house of prayer." Then these from Jeremiah, "Has this house which is called by My name become a den of robbers in your sight?" As Jesus rose from the dirt, I imagine His mission was clear; it was time to clean house. Now, He moves forward with assurance and returns to the scene. This time, there is no hesitation. He steps in, cleans house and then teaches. Teaches. I just can’t imagine that part. I can get the turning the tables over and belting out in anger, but then Jesus does something incredible. He teaches. What a challenge to me. It was never about anything other than leading people to better understand the Father. He still loved the people.

Prayer: I stink at confronting things. I really do. I pray tonight for the wisdom to stay calm as I assess the circumstances around me. Hide Your word in my heart and allow me to apply it, not my personal feelings, to what I see going on around me. Allow me the courage and humility to approach you in prayer and understand how to bring things before You and receive Your counsel. I want to move in Your timing and in Your ways. Sometimes my own fear causes me to react too softly as does my anger sometimes cause me to over react too harshly. My impatience causes me to strike immediately just as my timidity often causes me to delay too long. Walk me down the path that leads to Your perfect balance of appropriate action and perfect timing. May all that I do be done with the intention of teaching people Your amazing truth. Forgive me for all the times I have failed to speak out, lashed out in anger, or left people hanging in the end without teaching them about You. I desperately need Your wisdom guiding my steps and actions.