Completely Astonished

Today's Reading: Mark 5 & Mark 6:4-13; 45-56

Scripture:

"And immediately they were completely astonished." Mark 6:42

Observation:

Completely astonished. That is the experience that this couple had with Jesus. They faced an amazing crisis in their life and came through experiencing such a massive movement of God's grace and power that they were left with a sudden and overwhelming sense of amazement.

Application:

As I camp out on the phrase "completely astonished" I realize that I often walk away from a circumstance lacking the ability to say this about my encounter with God. To be completely astonished would signify experiencing something so far beyond human logic that all I can do is sit and marvel at the greatness of my God.

To change my experience with God means I will have to change some things about myself. First, I need humble myself before God and give Him my problems. My first tendency is to take my problems, try to deal with them myself, and then get angry at God when things do not go so well.

Second, I have to be prepared to see all hell break loose after I release a matter to God. Jairus' situation did not get better after he came to Christ. His daughter moved from being sick to being dead. It does not get much worse than that. Likewise in my life the things I face often require a period of intense faith before they get better. I must better learn to expect and endure this.

Finally I have to realize that miracles only occur in miraculous circumstances. I can not live in ordinary circumstances and expect to experience extraordinary movements of God. My level of personal comfort is inversely related to my level of astonishment with God. I must learn to stay calm and poised in the face of adversity knowing that conditions are ripe for an astonishing experience of God.

Prayer:

Completely astonished sounds good. Utterly hopeless does not. I crave the first and avoid the latter. The problem is that I can not be completely astonished until I have walked through utter hopelessness.

This morning I am fully awakened to my need to have a faith that is able to endure seasons of hopelessness. I need to have a faith that becomes aroused and energized at the thought of experiencing Your greatness. I need a faith that separated from my circumstances and instead is grounded in the majesty and power of who You are.