Advance
Not guilty.
Not guilty.
Not guilty.
Three times from John 18:29 - 19:6 Pilate tells the religious leaders who have brought Jesus to him to be executed that he - head guy who calls the shots - finds Jesus - not guilty.
Lesson: There will be times when we are charged with an offense for something that we are found to be without guilt.
Facing Jesus, trying to look him in the eye with curious yet fearful gazes, Pilate declares to Jesus, "Don't you realize I have the power to release you or crucify you?" This is good. Pilate was speaking facts. Truth, however, spoke louder than facts.
Here we go again with my reference to a great love of mine, the NLT Study Bible (p. 1811 referring to John 19:11 and then 19:30):
- "Although Pilate had the power to crucify Jesus it was only because God had given him temporary power so Jesus could advance to the cross."
- "On the cross Jesus was not a victim, but a servant doing God's bidding."
Lesson: God allows whatever HE wants to advance us - not to harm us.
Sounds good on paper, right? Question: What about when I've been hurt - by other Christians - who seem to have the power to fire, run out, defame, mock, or lord over me their standard as higher than Gods? Answer: It's been allowed. It's been allowed to advance you to a new place - for His divine plan.
Unfortunately, I can tell you stories (plural, sadly) of how we were hurt by "the Church". Oh my word, there is nothing more painful than feeling as if you've been shot in the back by "family". While in the middle of the ordeal, you feel betrayed, lost, somehow lower than everyone else, like a rebel. You second-guess your walk with God, your identity, your commitment to a calling. It's hell. And there are always two sides to every story, but in the most hurtful cases, the story was one-sided. Had we been in Pilate's court, he would have said the same thing he did about Jesus - "not guilty".
Here's where the rubber meets the road. I've walked through these situations believing that the oppressor - just like Pilate - had the power over me. That's defeating. That somehow is the tactic of the evil one when these things occur.
However, what I've learned is that these things were allowed to advance me. God did not intend for the hurt to overpower me but for me to rely on the POWER within me to overcome. It's a game changer when in the middle of the hurt, I can allow the Holy Spirit to control my thoughts. Thoughts of truth that remind me that this is being allowed to advance me - get me to a new, better place. It hurts - but the hurts don't need to become baggage that prevents me from moving forward. They can become lessons that empower me for the next thing.
I remember specifically going through an incredibly hurtful time - allowed by God - inflicted by those who called themselves His followers. I remember among the pain of my own soul hearing the Holy Spirit whisper: "I will advance you just like I did Israel in captivity. I will expose and remove." I didn't truly understand ...but in darkest days when I believed the wrong captain of my ship had the power ...it gave me hope.
Now, years later, I see the truth. God used awful circumstances to advance us. He exposed the root of the situation and removed us from what no longer fit. It was all for our good. Had we not been allowed to experience what we did we would not be where we are today: better. Better for having walked through. Better for living closer to Jesus. Better for learning to listen to and embrace the comfort of the Holy Spirit.
Take heart those who are hurting. You are being advanced.
Christina
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