Ever-present help
It was at the Christmas Special service at my church where they played a video of a man explaining what God sending Jesus meant. One line that jumped at me was "God overcame the obstacle of having to give up His son." God loves us all, so imagine how hard it must have been to give up one of His children?
I'm sure any parent would call it more of an obstacle having to choose to give up their child for the sake of all humanity. But God did it because of love.
God was thinking of the bigger picture and what was at stake. He knew it had to be done. Although God knew the outcome, that Jesus would have eternal life by His side in heaven, it was still a hard sacrifice — it was still hard for Him to see. It still hurt him and moved him.
God still gets moved by us and our situations. It's part of who He is: love and compassion. Although He knows the outcome(s) of our struggles, that He will help and save us, He cares. Just like with Lazarus. Jesus heard the news of one of his loved ones' death and he cried. He travelled to see him — and to save him. He knew Lazarus was going to come back to life but from the sight of people mourning he was moved by compassion. When he saw everyone weeping he didn't tell them "oh, calm down he's going to come back to life, just wait and see." He wept.
God, Jesus, Holy Spirit — all live in the now and in the future. But they are the ever-present help. He is present. He meets us where we are, and is in the now.
We always say "If I knew then what I know now I would have done things differently." And yet, God knew then and still knows in the now, but he understands that now is now. Now still needs to happen. We need His help now, and He gives it now.
What happens to us here matters. It has worth, it is just as important as the outcome.
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
— Psalm 46:1
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
— John 3:16-17
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied. Jesus wept.
— John 11:33-35
I'm sure any parent would call it more of an obstacle having to choose to give up their child for the sake of all humanity. But God did it because of love.
God was thinking of the bigger picture and what was at stake. He knew it had to be done. Although God knew the outcome, that Jesus would have eternal life by His side in heaven, it was still a hard sacrifice — it was still hard for Him to see. It still hurt him and moved him.
God still gets moved by us and our situations. It's part of who He is: love and compassion. Although He knows the outcome(s) of our struggles, that He will help and save us, He cares. Just like with Lazarus. Jesus heard the news of one of his loved ones' death and he cried. He travelled to see him — and to save him. He knew Lazarus was going to come back to life but from the sight of people mourning he was moved by compassion. When he saw everyone weeping he didn't tell them "oh, calm down he's going to come back to life, just wait and see." He wept.
God, Jesus, Holy Spirit — all live in the now and in the future. But they are the ever-present help. He is present. He meets us where we are, and is in the now.
We always say "If I knew then what I know now I would have done things differently." And yet, God knew then and still knows in the now, but he understands that now is now. Now still needs to happen. We need His help now, and He gives it now.
What happens to us here matters. It has worth, it is just as important as the outcome.
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
— Psalm 46:1
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
— John 3:16-17
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied. Jesus wept.
— John 11:33-35
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