Great Expectations

Don't be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ~ Philippians 4:6-7

Yeah, that's who I want to be. I want to be the guy who isn't anxious about anything, because that's the Jesus-y thing to do, right?

This is one of the great perks of being a Jesus follower - this whole "peace that transcends all understanding" thing - but sometimes, it seems hard to access. How do I take hold of this?

I know it's true. I believe it. I do. And I'm trying to live it out. But sometimes I'm still anxious. Sometimes, like right now, for instance, I am worried about the future.

I have great expectations for what God will do through Quest. I know he has great plans for us. And I know he means to make it happen in his time. But, in the meantime, I sweat and fret and pace and worry. I'm anxious. 

I bring my petitions and requests to God with thanksgiving, and I mean it. Every word. But still...

So, maybe the guarding of hearts and minds springs from the knowing. The four words that immediately precede this passage are these "The Lord is near." So maybe the guarding is on God; he's near, and he's on it. 

But maybe the knowing's on me. Maybe I'm still called to do my part. Maybe, in order to receive that supernatural peace of God, I need to quit pacing and fretting and sweating and worrying. Maybe that's MY part. Maybe I need to stop and make room in order for him to start.

Except, no. 

That's not what this is about.

This ties right in with what we've been talking about the last couple weeks at Quest - maybe this is a pride issue. 

Like Paul, who said he delights in God's law, but then finds his pride and his submission are at war, it seems that war is alive in me. One side of my heart wants to stop being anxious because God is in control, and the other side of my heart thinks I can actually make that happen through sheer force of will.

If my trust is just lip service, and I really think that everything's up to ME, how will I ever find peace? And before I can truly leave it all at God's feet, I have to let go of it. 

There's this great scene in the series "Arrested Development" where Lindsay is feeling guilty because she's received a wad of bills that were clearly ill-gotten. And she has this moment of conscience where she decides to throw it away, but she just can't. She physically can't release her fingers; she keeps flicking her hand, yet continues to hold the bills. Lindsay wants to feel better about herself, but she wants the money more. It was hilarious and a little sad

This is me with my worries. This is me, thinking that my great expectations for Quest are all about me. This is me, unable to let go and let God.

I want the peace, but maybe I also want the credit. God help me.

Election Hangover

Wow. That was a bit of a shock.

The election is over and the nation is reeling. Some are tipping a glass; others are surfing the Canadian immigration website. In many cases, the former see God's hand of blessing, and the latter, his hand of judgment.

I'd like to offer a third option:

What if God didn't have a hand in this election at all?

I know Paul says that no government is in power except that which is "instituted by God," but the purpose of that passage (Romans 13:1-5) is to say that, once leadership is established, we should submit to it rather than be in constant conflict with it, because the purpose of government is to maintain order, and God is a god of order, not disorder.

It's not about God putting his favorite people in power. Besides, in Paul's day, leaders weren't elected by the governed, so this was Paul's way of calming the zealots and pointing them away from conflict and toward peace.

So what does God have to do with elections? Is God a god of the ballot box? 

Remember when Jesus said, "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father"? (John 14:9) If we want to see how God works, we should look at Jesus.

The religious leaders felt threatened by Jesus' teaching, so they captured him and delivered him to the authorities, accusing him of trying to lead a rebellion and calling himself "The King of the Jews." 

The Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, was a smart guy, and he knew something was fishy, so he gave Jesus an opportunity to defend himself. Jesus could have easily deflected blame and gotten back to work building his grass-roots movement. But he chose another route. 

He said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest...my kingdom is from another place."

Can God put people in office? Sure.

Does God put people in office? That's another thing, altogether.

Remember, our king is not housed in the Oval Office, the Capitol, the Pentagon, or any other building, but rather he resides in the hearts of us - his followers. And in order to take up residence there, he submitted. He didn't fight. He didn't rage. He didn't run. He offered himself up.

That's how we won. We thought it was about battles and nations and earthly kings, but actually, it was about surrender.

So, stand on Paul's advice, "Do not lose heart...our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." (2 Corinthians 4:16 & 18)

Deep breaths. This guy is not our king and the battle is already won. Let's roll up our sleeves and get to work bandaging wounds and cleaning up the mess.

Amen?