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Fresh Bread # 143
WHAT MAKES
JESUS CRY?
I
know we think God is so Big that it’s hard to comprehend that He could cry. But, since we
are made in His likeness we might understand Him and know Him better, if we understood that the things
we do are much more like Him than we realize.
This morning tears flowed from my heart and down
my cheeks. If it wasn’t self-pity, then what was it? Was there a connection between my
tears and the tears of Jesus? (John 11:35).
Some
time ago I tried to picture Jesus as a cowboy. I’m sure that sounds silly, but I so much
wanted to know Him and feel His presence …even in the flesh. So, that’s just one of
those mental pictures imprinted on my heart.
As I sat waiting for my Lord, somewhat puzzled by
the various calls on my life, this old Western song began to play in my mind and I knew what it meant.
♫Come and Sit by my Side
If you love Me.
Do not hasten to
Bid me adieu.
Just remember
The Red River Valley
And the Cowboy
Who loves you so True. ♫
THE CONVERSATION BEGAN
“Father,
that I may not struggle against the plans You have for my life. Help me not to reason WHY I am
where I am. If it’s Your desire for me to come and fellowship with You, to sit at Your feet
until the moon turns blue…what is that to others?
“I will come and sit with You, Lord…as
long as You like…until You are satisfied. You really do love and desire me that much,
don’t You?”
YES.
I too, need someone to share the burdens that
are on My heart.
“You have burdens, Lord?”
Yes, that My children run around like so many
scared mice. They don’t TRUST Me.
“Does that hurt Your feelings, Lord
and make You cry?”
Yes. Remember the tomb of Lazarus when
My friends didn’t trust me?”
“Forgive me Lord. You have
needs, too.”
I could almost hear His heart’s cry: “Will
someone come and sit with Me? Will a significant person in My life (you) come and sit with me…and
comfort Me by their unhurried presence? Do you have time for Me? Would you listen to My side
of the story?”
THE TRAIL OF FIRES
Recently
a dear friend was praying for me. They saw the gifts God placed in my life and felt God was saying
it was time for me to come out of my wilderness and preach.
Oh yes, their words ignited that Passion to Preach
that has always been in me…like fire in my bones. Like Jeremiah, I just couldn’t keep
it in, once ignited.
And yes, I felt the fire of God’s anointing
when He opened a door for me to preach in the prisons, youth detention centers, women’s shelters,
little church in Sun City. Do you see where I’m going now? I’m retracing my steps
and checking the fires. This will teach us all something when we are wondering about the call God
presently has on our life. Let’s keep going. I haven’t checked those fires in a
long time. Have they gone out?
Whether it was a two minute message or full length,
the fires were present to preach at Aglow, Camp Fires for Jesus, Groesbeck, Utopia Methodist Church and
Living Waters, Kerrville (Robert Forbes church), on the streets at Mardi Gras, in my home, Holland (Corrie’s
house), Baptist church in Sabinal, Spanish Church Baptisms, Born Again Barn, Beaumont, Bandera as a child
and later street ministry, Garden City home, Lancaster, Kingwood, and to young people who came to my home…including
family.
No, I haven’t checked these fires for a long
time. But, one little spark from a friend has caused me to retrace my steps. There may be more
sparks by the wayside that I don’t remember. But, fires were set by the fire of Jesus in my
heart.
UNCONVENTIONAL
As
I followed the trail of fire that burned in my heart and caused me to preach, I understood a word the
Lord used to describe me this morning. It is “unconventional”.
So, some of the places I listed met the criteria
of what the world sees as a “preacher”. Others were simply explosions of God’s
Word that came at His appointed times. These were preceded by my deep concern over some thing or
some person.
A SMALL FLAME REMAINED
The
fire still burned in me, and my friend was fanning these old flames, but I wasn’t sure that I still
had the physical strength to carry out the demands this would place on my life. I must TRUST God.
At this time in my life, for me to stand in front
of a large crowd and preach seemed almost distasteful. It seemed plastic and self-promoting. God
has given me the gift but unless He says “Go”, I cannot.
HOWEVER
However,
there is something very special I can do for Him that I had never thought of before. When this
song came to me, I understood that some times our Lord needs a friend who will just listen to Him patiently
and hear what makes tears come to His eyes.
We tell Him all our sorrows, but do we ever sit
quietly and let Him pour out His sorrows to us? What kind of friend are we? Like my precious
sister-in-the-Lord, Shirley, who always listens to my sorrows before she will share her own. She
is so polite. Jesus has done that consistently for us.
But, when was the last time we sat with Him, not
hurrying away? When did we care enough to ask Him what makes Him cry?
After listening patiently, I believe that what brings
tears to His eyes the most, is that we don’t TRUST Him. I don’t know how He covers so
much territory in one unhurried meeting with Him, but He does. And how He always manages to turn
His attention to our needs when we sincerely meant to focus on His. What an awesome, loving, God
we serve.
People say: “It’s not about me. It’s
not about us.” I must disagree as I look at this statement from a different angle. When
I look at the cross and His daily desire to spend time with us, I must from my heart say in amazement. “Oh,
my, Lord. It really is all about us, isn’t it? Everything You did and do and will do,
is for us. We are always on Your mind.”
TRUST HIM
(ACTION)
So,
may I encourage you instead of asking questions and trying to pin Him down for an answer, that you practice
Trusting Him. No matter what happens in our life today, let’s practice saying: “I TRUST You,
Lord.”
I know in my heart that this will dry the tears
from His eyes and bring a big SMILE.
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