Lent Day 9 - GOD’S ‘BUT’ IS UNFILTERED

‘Abba, Father,’ he said, ‘everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.’ (Mark 14:36)

I’ve recently started watching the series called The Chosen and it has really helped to bring the Bible to life for me. I think the actor cast as Jesus was such a good choice, and I love the way the writers have included humour, banter and affection between Jesus and his followers. I also love how Jesus has middle eastern features and an appropriate skin colour too – I can’t bear the white, pointynosed, blue-eyed Jesus portrayed in many historical paintings and films.

Knowing Jesus really helps to keep me grounded in this difficult situation I’m experiencing. I love how the Bible makes it clear that Jesus faced the full spectrum of human emotions. He is a friend and saviour who truly identifies with us in our struggles. He knows first-hand how challenging life on this planet can be. Jesus was let down by close friends and betrayed by one of his inner circle. He faced grief, abandonment, mocking, suffering, anguish and a painful death. He also experienced hunger and tiredness, and was falsely accused of being a drunk. If Jesus had an Instagram account, I don’t believe his posts would have been filtered. We wouldn’t see him post a face-tuned selfie (complete with a pointynose filter!) alongside his disciples with #squadgoals underneath – when the reality is that Peter has just denied him and he knows the rest of them will desert him and let him down. Jesus lived a real and authentic life.

I believe God is interested in what is real, raw and genuine. He wants unedited, unfiltered followers. People who are honest about where they are at, and look to him for help, guidance and transformation. I believe we need to be careful during this vulnerable time about how much we engage in the world of social media. I’m certainly not against it, but when you are in a challenging time, it can be especially unhelpful to look at other people’s seemingly perfect lives. I also recognise that I can be tempted to post things that make it look as though it’s ‘all good in the hood’, when that really isn’t the case. I remember one occasion we were on holiday in Wales and I had a row with my husband. We hadn’t even sorted out our disagreement, and yet I took a picture of him in the sun and posted it. It was a good picture, but not a true picture – anyone looking at it would have thought, ‘Ah they are having a lovely day’, but actually, that wasn’t the case at all. I’m not advocating that we post depressing things either  – we don’t need to share with the world everything that’s difficult in our lives to tick the box of being real. But perhaps now is a good opportunity to assess how much time and attention we are giving to the online world and if it is benefiting us or hindering us, particularly during a delicate and vulnerable period in our lives.

Jesus is not a filtered God who is aloof, unrelatable and detached from reality. He is a God who became fully human, who understands our weaknesses and struggles – who chose to identify with us in our frailty and humanity. He gets it. And he wants to walk alongside us through it. Perhaps in your impossible situation you feel betrayed, left out, invisible, hurt, fed up, anxious, fearful. Take it all to Jesus who truly knows how you are feeling. Jesus prayed that God would take the suffering he would soon experience away from him. He ends his emotive prayer by saying, ‘Yet not what I will, but what you will.’ Jesus trusted that whatever the outcome, God was in control and had plans for good. He knew true submission to his Father because of the deep trust he had in his character. Jesus prayed unfiltered prayers in his time of deep anguish and I believe we should do the same.

Taken from When God ‘Buts’ In by Kate Williams

Are you facing a situation that looks impossible?

Many biblical characters faced huge obstacles too, until God brought a ‘but’ into the situation that changed their circumstances in a powerful way.

When God ‘buts’ in he isn’t meddling or interfering, he is divinely intervening in the situation.

Whether that results in a miraculous turnaround in circumstances or grace to sustain you through a trial, God wants to ‘but’ in and be actively involved in your life.

REFLECTION

How much are you trusting God with your situation today? Can you honestly pray, ‘Yet not what I will but what you will’? Whatever your answer is, make sure it’s unfiltered. Spend some time reflecting on the emotions Jesus experienced throughout his life and thank him that he is a friend and saviour who truly understands your pain. How is your use of social media impacting you during this time of struggle? Decide on whether you need to take some time out or if you need to put any boundaries in place relating to your use of it. Can you think of a time when you posted something on social media that in honesty was not a true reflection of the actual experience? Why do we so often feel the pressure to prove we are having a great time even if that’s not the case? How can your own social media be more authentic and unfiltered?