Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Surprise! God’s Way is NOT Our Way


I need to let them know!!  The thought of sharing the great news with my exhausted, long-suffering Jesus-friends pounced in my head with the mixture of excitement and urgency.  They won’t believe it!! They’ll be absolutely thrilled…

Just then there was a knock on the door. The French guy stuck his head in,

We need to talk.

Yes, I jumped to my feet, we do! I have some great news to share with you.  But, he didn’t seem excited.  I had no idea what was going on, but it didn’t really matter for I finally got it. I finally knew what they were talking about, from the inside out, not as an outsider watching in. I was loved, and forgiven, and empowered by the Spirit of Jesus Christ to live a life of purpose, and joy, and…

You need to leave. He said without expression.  We’ve talked about you and prayed and decided it is best for you to leave. Right now.  Go back  home.

No, you don’t understand.  I… I just prayed, and received… and… I DO understand now… I KNOW  it’s true…Jesus is…

We got you a one-way ticket back home, he interrupted my excited rambling, apparently deaf to the great news I was trying to share. The train leaves in a couple of hours.  You need to get your stuff together and get ready.  We’ll be leaving in thirty minutes. With that he stood up and left the room. I was stunned.

But… but… I shook my head in utter disbelief. This can’t be happening… it’s crazy... I slowly pushed my chair away from the table, struggling to get up. 

At the train station, I was given an old copy of Gideon New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs which I received like a bag of gold.  We prayed and said our good-byes. I found a seat in an empty compartment, sat down and I begun to cry like a baby, as the train slowly moved from station.  Mingled with tears, and misunderstanding, and disappointment, and the rhythmic sound of the wheels on the tracks, I suddenly realized, was peace … that same peace that followed unconditional surrender to the unsearchable ways of the One who loves me and knows me better than I know myself.

Thus I was introduced to the mysterious, sometimes seemingly non-sensical ways Jesus Christ chooses to work through the agency of man. 

No comments: