Live In Our Pain – Freed Into Our Destiny – Which Will It Be?

Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah - Judges 11:29a

We've all heard stories of individuals who have prevailed over extreme hardship to rise to the top or to have full, complete triumphant lives. Many of them had horrible lives during their childhood years. If you have lived at all you have either been or known children of alcoholics, orphans who never have parents, loss of parents to a fatal disease or calamity, childhood diseases that created twisted bodies - these are all difficult conditions to surmount.

Jephthah was such a man. He was born to a “godly” but faulted man named Gilead. Jephthah was the result of his father's adulterous encounter with a prostitute. Gilead's wife, who had bore more sons, decided to reject Jephthah, and drove him away from their home saying, "You are not going to get any inheritance in our family because you are the son of another woman."

Imagine the rejection this young man felt as he was cast away from his own family.

There was a silver lining in this instance…at least at one level. This experience taught Jephthah to become a hardened warrior. He would be in a street gang today. His fortunes changed however. As he matured his reputation grew as a warrior. This was so true, so much so that when the Ammonites made war on Israel, the elders of Gilead went to Jephthah and asked him to be their commander. Jephthah had to fight off those feelings of rejection from previous years.

"Didn't you hate me and drive me from my father's house?" he responded.

Yet, ultimately love of God and country prevailed. He overcame his hurt and pain, and responded to the call God had on his life. Jephthah freed himself of his prejudices and did not allow his mistreatment rule his life and rob him of greatness and honor before God.

We all have heard the story of the caterpillar to butterfly. If we were to help the butterfly when it is coming out of larvae stage and move it from the cocoon, the butterfly would not be strong enough to survive. It is the struggle of freeing itself that prepares the butterfly to become strong enough to fly; to become what it’s destiny provides. Without the struggle in the cocoon, it could not survive as a butterfly.

The Lord prepares each of us in dissimilar ways. We need to learn to understand the struggles of our brothers and sisters. It is maturity. It is part of the freedom that comes with loving another for no good reason other than within our heart their true value is revealed to us. Some of our childhoods seem to have been harsh. It seems a loving God missed a stroke since we were born into a seemingly loveless start. Ah! But did God miss something? Or, did He know our struggle would make our life an instrument in His hand if we will follow Him with an upright heart. He does make all things beautiful in His time if we are willing to be patient.

This week the Church on Rogers Street is studying two little verses Galatians 5:1 and verse 13. It’s about “free.” Are you ready for it? Freedom is just a moment of surrender away. Oh sure. You may have to come back again and surrender AGAIN. But we will start today. You expect God to heal and Jesus to be the Great Physician of a hurt heart. He is and He will. Give over that pain that has stymied you. It’s time. I remain…

InHISgrip,
~J~