God is There Even When We Cannot See

 Psalm 41    Mark 9    

As a leader David often found himself suffering like the person who is suffering from a deathly illness. The most painful part of his pain was that so much of his pain was caused by the lies and misleading of his enemies but even his close friends participate. He cries out to God asking for relief from the pain of their deceit and that he might see the hope offered by his faithfulness to God.

One of the things about David is that while he had great sin in his life, including adultery and murder, he had integrity to not only see his sin but to confess it and seek the forgiveness of God. It was that ability to experience the grace of God and the chance to begin again that gave him hope.

We, like David and Jesus, will suffer rejection and the pain of deception and evil the more closely we come to being like them. One shows God’s love for the imperfect and the other the pain of being righteous reflecting the perfect image of God. Today’s song reminds us that God will judge us on our integrity and not those that would seek to destroy us.

In Mark we see Jesus beginning to prepare his disciple for the road ahead without really telling them how difficult it would be. He does tell them that some will not taste death. Taking the 3 closest disciples to the mountaintop they experience his transfiguration as God prepares Jesus for the challenges, he will face in the week ahead. Peter wants to react in the normal way and provide for the messengers from God and worship them. Instead, God envelopes them and reminds them that Jesus is his beloved son, and they should listen to and follow his instruction. There is this really interaction where while Jesus is with the other disciples, they want to know about Elijah coming before him. They do not understand yet that what God has in mind they are unaware of.

As he interacts with the disciples, they continue to see the world through their own eyes rather than what God sees. People come to Jesus and demand he meet their needs but question if he really can. When he does touch a life and bring healing, they are afraid of him.

He also lets them know that he will be and rise again in three days. Since this has never happened before they struggle to believe him. They demand a sign that what he says in true. Jesus tells them until they put their trust in God like a child does a parent, they will never get to experience the transforming power of God. They are to put their trust in God and then because of the way though have been treated they must remember that like salt brings out the taste of the meal so they should bring out the best of what the world has to offer.

The journey of being a disciple of Jesus will take us places we would not choose to go, experience things we would never have had the chance to experience before. There will be times when the power of God is so evident and clear that we wonder how there was ever a time we doubted. At other times we feel powerless against people the want bad things to happen to us. In each of those times god is unchanging and worthy of our praise. What lays before us is put there to help us see God at work in the world around us then to witness to that presence and to praise God continually.