27 "Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!"
Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again."
Are we aware of the reason for our seasons? Seasons of sickness and sorrow or seasons of singing and satisfaction; seasons of plenty or seasons of want; seasons of devastation or seasons of prosperity; seasons that quite literally take our breath away either for the good or for the bad – as fellow sojourners in this fallen world, we will most likely be privy to all. Nothing in life is chance or happenstance. For the believer, every encounter, every circumstance, every season are allowed or planned for purpose and are orchestrated to be used for our good and for God’s glory – never one surpassing the other. Our choice in our reaction to them will either bring God glory - and with it our ultimate satisfaction and good – or not. Do not be deluded, God is in control. He always has been; He always will be. Moses’ words come to mind in Psalm 90:
From everlasting to everlasting you are God. Psalms 90:2 (NIV)
One thing is for certain, things do not remain the same. Change in our circumstances is the constant we can certainly count on. Yet the nature of the believer is that we remain certain in all of our uncertain circumstances – in the constant changes that are ever taking place around us. Like David, God has set our feet upon a Rock that never moves – giving us a firm place to stand while all the winds of life blow - and that Rock is Jesus:
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. Psalms 40:2 (NIV)
We are not certain in our circumstances rather we are certain in our God. His love is constant and He always has our best interest at heart – whether we are able to recognize that or not.
“Faith says not, ‘I see that it is good for me, so God must have sent it,’ but, ‘God sent it, and so it must be good for me.’ Faith, walking in the dark with God, only prays Him to clasp its hand more closely.” Phillips Brooks
1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. Heb 11:1-2 (NIV)
There perhaps are sweet times of refreshing we would love to have linger on, mountain top experiences we wish, like Peter, would never end. There are also times of devastation and adversity – like living in a bad dream of nightmarish quality– one of which we wish to wake up from and all would be “normal” again. Solomon tells us “there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven”:
1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: 2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, 3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, 6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, 7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, 8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. Eccl 3:1-8 (NIV)
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Eccl 3:11 (NIV)
God in His providential plans and control and deep abiding love has an appropriate time for every activity under heaven – even when we cannot comprehend, He can be trusted. The prophet Jeremiah tells us:
11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 (NIV)
In our verses for today we see Jesus setting forth for us an example of willingly submitting to the will of His Father while all the while being stirred and troubled in Spirit. He was facing the burden of all of man’s sins pressing Him down – a mighty weight of the world’s guilt about to be imputed on his head making Him groan and troubled. We see by our Lord’s example that inward conflict of soul is not necessarily in itself a sinful thing. Yet our Lord asks, what shall I say under this pressing hour? That hour was for the very reason that He came. Is the hour we are now enduring or enjoying for the very reason that we are here? Are we glorifying God in this hour by our lives? Are we manifesting His glory through each circumstance allowed? We may say in our hearts “Impossible!” Yet God says in His Word - through His strength - all things are possible. Paul writes regarding his on circumstances the following Truth:
12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Phil 4:12-13 (NIV)