As I have surveyed friends and family alike, across the spectrum I have heard people say that 2007 was one of the most difficult years of their lives. Many of my friends in ministry felt like the pain and hardship they had endured during 2007 was comparable to the pain of forcefully pulling out healthy teeth (not entirely sure how they know what that feels like since they haven't had it done to them). Many of my ministry friends have been hidden in 'obscurity' and, like me, have wondered why all their labor seems to have gone unrewarded. Well, it's my hope that today's post will be an encouragement to any one who fits the 'obscurity description' as you look forward to what God has in store for you in 2008.
I recently read an article that explained that only 10% of an iceberg is typically visible above the water while 90% of it is submerged. Because of their mass, those proportions make icebergs virtually indestructible. This fact was likened to Jesus' life, the most influential life in all of human history. Ninety percent of His life on earth was spent in obscurity (submerged or hidden from public view), while ten percent was spent in the public eye. All of His life was, and still is, absolutely indestructible. The writer of the article, further opined that when we pray "to become more like Jesus" we seldom equate that prayer with the thought that we want to spend 90% of our lives unapplauded, underestimated, uncelebrated and in anonimity.
The character and authority of Jesus, which we desire so much, cannot be isolated from the 'mundane' and obscure seasons of His life. They are as much a part of His life as the seasons in which He was heralded. Evidently, a season of hiddenness is vital to the formation of Godly character (remember Jesus' wilderness experience?). Why else would God wrap heavens greatest Gift in plain wrapping and place Him in a manger and then in a nondescript village whose greatest testimony was, "Can anything good come out of...?" The danger many of us face is our tendency to equate being hidden with being unimportant or irrelevant to God's plan and purpose. Nothing could be further from the truth. We'll pick up this thought tomorrow. While you're pondering this idea though, I'd like to ask you, "Do you feel like you're in a season of hiddenness?"
3 comments:
I can relate to feeling like I've been in the wilderness for a season. The wonderful thing is that I see the horizon and I'm walking straight out. I am very carefule about what I pray for. I cross all the 't's' and dot all the 'i's' because "If you believe, you will receive what you ask for in prayer." The truth is sometimes we ask in prayer and have no idea what that will play out like.
"The danger many of us face is our tendency to equate being hidden with being unimportant or irrelevant to God's plan and purpose." I think that danger...that thought process, is the crux of it all. (Why do we equate hidden with unimportant? Where did that idea come from?)Because the next thought is, "I better step up and make something happen or I may miss my 10% shot at it."
I don't feel hidden but that was still Good.
Post a Comment