"And every day He was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and lodged on the mount called Olivet. And early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him.
Now the Feast of the Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put Him to death, for they feared the people.
Then Satan entered Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him to them. And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of a crowd." (Luke 21:37-22:6)
Most believe these are the events that occurred on Wednesday of Holy Week. My big plan had been to write about each day of Holy Week. Well, today is Wednesday, which means so far, I've only missed Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday of Holy Week.
So much for my big plans.
What a snapshot, is it not, of our constant tendency--make big plans, but fail first to come to the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe and ask Him, "Father, what are Your plans for me today? What is Your will? Father, would You lead me today... would You, in Your mercy and grace and power, use me for Your Kingdom for however many hours You give me today? And if I make it to the end of these next 24 hours, if You have not yet taken me home to be with You, then Lord, would You keep me faithful?"
Because here's the thing: He doesn't call for us to make big plans. He calls for us to make Him big.
In whatever way He leads us for that day--make Him bigger. In whatever arena He places us in the hours He gives us--make Him bigger... and bigger... and bigger.
And that means walking with Him. He's already walking with us, beside us, behind us, before us. But are we keeping pace with Him or are we too busy with our "big plans" for the day that we run ahead, busy, efficient, organized and ready to get on with all we've got to do?
Or maybe we start lagging behind--gazing at other people or places or pleasures, preoccupied with the things that tend to detract us from keeping pace. Sometimes it's such simple stuff, isn't it, that can cause us to lag behind and lose sight of our Savior walking up ahead of us. We open our computers quickly in the early morning, just to check for an email, but then we check something on the internet (for me, that's usually Amazon) and the next thing we know, the time has flown and there's just not a moment left to slow down and savor a moment's stroll with the Savior.
I wrote about it the other day--Jesus kept walking. And He is walking still and longs for us to walk with Him. And see the sights. Delight in the beauty of His creation in His Word, in His Person, in His peace. Chat with Him about whatever weights on our hearts... and listen to whatever He wants to tell us to lift those burdens. Walk with Him wherever He chooses to go and savor His presence and soak in His love.
A dear friend, Holly, and I chatted yesterday on our way into Bible study. We feel like we've been running a race the past week. Homework and activities left us no time to stroll with Jesus and savor the gift of Holy Week, the Passion of Christ, the love of the Father for us. No time to sit with our families and talk about what this really all means. How what Jesus did everyday of this very week changed everything. Everything. Changed all of history. Even more miraculously, changed our hearts. O forgive us, Father.
So today, might we all slow our pace. If we're busily running ahead of the Savior, preoccupied with our big plans, let's slow down and savor the Savior. Ask the Father to help us this day to make the One who came to save the world the BIG One. O Lord, forgive our tendency to want to be big--might You be bigger and bigger and bigger.
And if we've been lagging behind, maybe even wandering off the path, losing sight of Jesus completely, well, it's never too late. He's just up ahead. Can't you see Him now, turning around, smiling and laughing, and saying, "Hey, come on! I've got so much to tell you. Come tell Me all about it. Let's walk through this day together and discover all that the Father has in store for you. And trust Me, it's gonna be big. Because He is the Biggest and the Best. And we'll do it all together, just you and I Am."
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for walking with us. And whether we run ahead or lag behind, You're ready to quicken Your pace to catch us or slow it down a bit to find us back there where we ran off the road. And You'll pull us out of the ditch and clean us up and love us just as much... because Your love is big. Big as a cross that stretches throughout eternity.
To God, our BIG BIG BIG GOD, be all the glory.
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