Clay o, Clay!

Zep. 3:16-17 “…Cheer up, Zion! Don’t be afraid! For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

We took a break from dealing with the final ‘D’ that attempts to steal our cheer, to receive what God was delivering to us at Christmas, in the final days of 2020 and into the new year. How do I cheer up when change seems distant? Let us start with a quick recap. The first truth is, to cheer up when my change seems distant, I need to Embrace The Big Picture.

When you see the big picture, you can cheer up even though you are going through a difficult time. Joseph saw and embraced the big picture, the palace, so he was able to endure the pit, Potiphar’s house, and the prison simply by keeping his eye on the big picture. It is one thing to see where God is taking you, but it is another thing to embrace it. 

The second truth is, to cheer up when change seems distant, I need to Cooperate With The Artist. God is the Master and we are His masterpiece. Clay does not become a masterpiece by arguing with the potter. Becoming the Master’s masterpiece requires being submitted to His dealings and cooperating with God. Do you remember the experience I shared about the book the Holy Spirit wanted me to read? I threw the book away instead of cooperating with the Holy Spirit. Thank God we have a God that will not give up on us, a God that will keep chasing us. He is a relentless lover. The truth is God’s dealings can be uncomfortable a lot of the time it is because God is going to push you out of your comfort zone. God is going to confront you with things that will shake you to your core and it can be uncomfortable.

When I turned forty, I decided to do a detailed medical check-up because I believed it was the wise thing to do. However, going to the hospital for me is a bitter-sweet experience. I am always very grateful to God, but I am usually very uncomfortable. I went in for the planned examination and in comes a female doctor. She hands me some paper towel kind of apron that I was to change into for the examination. When I came back, she was still there. I wanted to say, “Excuse me, do you know that I am a Pastor?” But I was out of my zone. She asked me to lie down and, in my mind, I am thinking, “Lie down?” Uncomfortable but I cooperated. She looked through my medical history and began to ask questions. I was finding it difficult to breathe, difficult to talk. It took at least three minutes for the male doctor to show up. It was the longest three minutes of my life. The doctor came and was poking and poking me. “Do you feel pain?” he asked. I wanted to say, “Yes, I do! Please stop poking me because you are causing me pain.” 

My point is, I needed to submit to the medical team even though it was uncomfortable. But we find it difficult to submit to our Heavenly Father when we feel uncomfortable. Do we trust the doctor more than we trust God? Do we trust man more than we trust God? 

Prayer: Father, I ask for the grace to cooperate with You no matter what, in Jesus Name. Amen!