The timing...

How does one respond to something unseen? What does one do when the world around is getting smaller and smaller... slowly sucking the oxygen from our dreams? Who does one turn to when no one seems to know which way to turn? What is the answer to my struggles, fears, confusion, discontent, anxiety... Is there an answer?

And so it feels as though we can only hope to be carried away from today's current predicament. It seems as though finding peace within and peace outside is nothing more than a fanciful kids tale... and so it seems...

Crazy truth of now is the timing... COVID-19 raining down turmoil, tension, struggle... falling down to the ground from this virus is a brokenness unseen before by so many. And the timing...

Passion Week.

There set before Jesus ... the pain. the suffering. the shame. the torture...

There set before Jesus ... The sin of Humanity...

There set before Jesus ... The Cross.

How did Jesus find comfort, peace, and refreshment in the midst of that hungry, violently salivating, rugged old cross staring him in the face? What did Jesus do as the life He lived for the other was now being ripped away by the other?

Brace yourself... Facing despair, desolation and darkness of the soul like none ever, Jesus fell to His face and prayed.

When Jesus needed to be refreshed, when He needed to be “carried away,” He embraced the Holy Spirit so as to be taken into the arms, into the heart of the Father. And there He found the intensity of peace that not only brought Him to His knees, but made Him sweat blood.

There in the garden, Jesus checked out by checking in to the needs, to the brokenness, to the hurt, to the suffering of the other. There in the garden Jesus took our chaos, our unstableness, our pain, our virus...our sin, and made it His.

“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” 

–Lk 22.42-44

Because of His love for us Jesus went to the Father so to reign down Holy love on His holy land through prayer. Through the Holy Spirit Jesus entered into the intensity of prayer for the sake of the world so that He might present the beauty and power of prayer.

Today, in your struggle to find peace you need not look to the world for your get away. What is needed more than anything right now is time with Jesus. Let the love of Jesus wreck your reality so as to make it real and right again. Today, check into Jesus for there in His embrace you will find rest for your soul.

May the Peace of our God wrap you up in the beautiful paradox of His radical love...