Trusting an Amazing God
The Scriptures are filled with amazing stories. While it should not be surprising to see a couple rejoice at the birth of their firstborn, Genesis 21 records the birth of a child and the parents named him “Laughter." The truly surprising thing about this is that these new parents were candidates for the nursing home. This is the story of Abraham and Sarah. Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90 years of age when this birth occurred. If I were in the position of these first-time parents, I’d have named the boy “Wow” or “Jehovah help me."
Another head-scratcher might be the story of a prophet whose Hebrew name means “Dove” in English. As he was taking a boat trip across the Mediterranean Sea, a violent storm threatened the voyage. As the crew tried to figure out how to set things right, this prophet confessed to being the reason for the devastating gale. Here is a meteorological first: he told the panicked crew to throw him into the sea and the storm would pass. If you want the rest of the story, read the book of Jonah.
Consider one of the most faithful kings of the Old Testament, King Hezekiah. The name Hezekiah meant "Yahweh (God) is my strength." It is interesting that Hezekiah was given this name by one of the most evil kings in the Old Testament. Hezekiah’s father was King Ahaz. Ahaz's story is a cautionary tale of wasted opportunity. While King Ahaz was raised by a godly and faithful father (King Jotham), he himself was seduced into idolatry and worshiped pagan gods. King Ahaz was particularly abominable in that he participated in child sacrifice. He offered, as burnt sacrifices, his children to the Canaanite god Moloch. It was in this setting that Hezekiah ascended to the throne as king when the evil King Ahaz was killed. As evil as Ahaz was, King Hezekiah was dedicated to God. He reigned as a godly king for 29 years.
The last astonishing story is found in Luke 23. Here we find two men; both men witnessed the most incredible drama this world had ever seen. These men heard the same words, saw the same people, and witnessed the same events. Yet, they did two totally opposite things. Our focus in Luke 23 is on the crucifixion of Jesus. The inexplicable drama revolves around the two criminals who were crucified with Jesus. One man cursed Jesus with his dying breath, and the other declared Jesus’ greatness. How could one man see Jesus for who He truly was and the other man miss it? The most obvious answer is focus. One man saw hope. The other saw nothing. One man looked at Jesus with an open mind. The other looked only to himself with a closed heart.
You and I have the potential to be a promising story. Each day is a gift from our Heavenly Father. We have the same choices as the two men who died with Jesus. We can see the hope that Jesus brings or we can see nothing but ourselves. Let us remember Psalm 25:1-2: "To Thee, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in Thee I trust.” (NIV) Keep looking up!