When they know what they do.

Each of us, whether people of faith or otherwise, will face obstacles in our life. We will face them most often in any of four areas, health, family and finances. These obstacles, large or small may be put  in place by our own actions, by the actions of others or by Satan himself. We live in the devil’s playground and he has proven to be quite the bully. And then sometimes, like a hurricane, all the elements of these obstacles come together to form an unstoppable storm in our life. The gale will rage and cause havoc until the fourth area, our faith, begins to feel the devastating power of this tempest.

The Bible tells us stories of those who faced the storms with their faith leading the way. We know of Job and Abraham, of Jacob and Joseph, we read the accounts of Moses. The faith of each bible hero points towards Jesus Christ. There are many other men and women of faith depicted in the scriptures, but none so great as Jesus of Nazareth. Before we know him as Jesus the Christ, we read of Jesus the man. He was a man who would face all the obstacles that any of us will. His ministry on earth would grow for more than three years, loving those he met, becoming friends with a small group of constant followers. He would be known throughout the region as a great teacher, a man of compassion. Nevertheless, the storms would come.

He would be betrayed for a pocket full of money. He would beaten about the back so severely that his blood would flow. They would hit his face without mercy. They spat on him like he was worth no more than dirt. He would be ridiculed by placing a crown of thorns upon his brow, causing more blood to run down his swollen face.

And on the eve of his death those whom he had loved would turn their back on him.

Yet through this story we see Jesus the man’s faith. In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus said, “My soul        is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.”. Then in faith he turned to the Father and said, “Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”.
And then on the cross we again see the faith of Jesus of Nazareth, moments before he would become Jesus the Christ, when he uttered these words-” Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

But what about when they do know what they are doing? What about when with knowledge and forethought others bring storms into our life. What about when with knowledge and planning we bring the own storms into our life? What happens when we act as Peter did on the eve of Jesus’ death and run and hide, denying knowledge of Jesus.

The Bible does not tell us who they were that did not know what they were doing. I believe it did not only include those in the crowd that cheered as Jesus was raised on the cross. I believe it included all those that had conspired against him for so long leading up to this moment.
But I do not believe it included Peter.
You see Peter knew exactly what he was doing. Peter was hiding like a coward. He pretended a different life for his own benefit. This was the same Peter that had proclaimed to Jesus- “You are the Christ.”   

So what do we do when those that are closest to us bring storms into our path? What do we do when we choose to hide instead of believing? What do we do when the pain is so deep that we look for the end rather than the resolve?

After His resurrection Jesus the Christ sat with the betrayer Peter and asked him three times-”Peter, do you love me?” And then, with immeasurable love,  Jesus trusted Peter with His most loved possession-His church. The Great Shepherd said to Peter, the man who knew what he was doing when he denied Christ three times, the man who knew what he was doing when he ran into the night, away from his friend, his brother, he said to him,” Take care of my sheep.”         

Can we love those  storm-makers as Jesus loved Peter? Can we trust them as He trusted.

I hope I can.