Thursday // Fulfilling His Purpose
Today’s Reading: Luke 22:39-65 If you have ever been to Asheville, North Carolina, you know that it is a fun, relaxed, and absolutely breathtaking city. You get to wake up every morning and witness God’s glory in the beauty of the mountains and the seasons. Not to mention, Jimmy (my husband) and I were doing well up there. We had good jobs, a beautiful home, and a few friends and family members around. Why would we want to leave?
This was often the question I would pose to Jimmy when he would bring up the idea of leaving. Jimmy had been fighting to move to Orlando for a year, and I simply was not hearing it. Even if Jimmy was feeling called by God to leave Asheville, I wasn’t moving. I fought as hard as I could (with Jimmy and with God) for a long time. Eventually, God made it abundantly clear to me that this was not Jimmy just throwing out random places to live, but rather God’s specific calling on our lives, and yet, I still fought it. I was scared, and I felt like I was going to lose so much. I didn’t want to do this. There had to be some other place we could go, or something else He could ask me to do. There had to be some other way.
Thinking of that story, I can’t help but look at Jesus’ prayer on the Mount of Olives. In verse 42 He prays,
“Father if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”
What a powerful verse. Jesus is exposing His humanness to God. He is praying to the Lord for any other way to fulfill His purpose. I can’t help but think that Jesus, knowing all along what was coming, was fearful. He knew that this was God’s call on His life and that this calling was going to serve the specific purpose of freeing all humanity from sin, but it was scary nonetheless.
The rest of this passage shows us that we, as humans, are full of shortcomings. Judas betrays Jesus, Peter denies Him three times, and the guards mock and insult Him. We needed saving. Jesus’ purpose had been set forth and was grounded in and made clear through everyone’s (even his disciples’) shortcomings.
If I hadn’t listened to God, I would not have met an amazing, God-fearing community of friends. I would not have stepped out in faith and found my dream job, and my marriage would not be as strong as it is. So even though I was afraid, listening to what God was calling us to allowed Him to work in us and around us to make our lives better in unimaginable ways.
If Jesus had chosen not to fulfill His purpose, our sins would still be our burdens to bear, and we would not know the Lord’s abundant love and grace. It is only because of Jesus fulfilling His purpose, even in fear, that we can celebrate what He did—not just for us, but also for every person who will walk this earth.
Feeling God’s call on your life can be a scary thing, especially when it is something you don’t want to do.
Is there something you have been putting off because you are afraid? Take that first step toward obeying God’s call on your life. You don’t know what could be in store for you.
“Not my will, but yours be done.”
Amy is the Lake Mary Campus Ministry Coordinator.