THE QUESTION THAT BEGS AN ANSWER
Christine Wyrtzen
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. Psalm 20:7
Futility. When is the last time you felt it? Probably the last time you realized that there are things you just can't fix. What's broken stays broken. Because it's too painful to admit that, you exhaust yourself by applying human band-aids. Your efforts do seem to make enough of a difference to stop the bleeding. It's profound enough to cause you to get up and exert another round of superhuman attempt. But extract yourself from the situation and it won't take long for the intensity of the problem to resurface.
Remember the feeding of the 5,000? Jesus was filled with compassion by the crowd's hunger. He knew that people in physical distress wouldn't be able to listen to a kingdom message so He sought to alleviate that by providing a meal. He turned to Phillip. "Where shall we buy bread to feed these people?" This was a test. He hoped that Phillip would have experienced enough of Jesus' divinity to fashion this reply, "Only you can provide supernatural amounts of bread, Lord." But instead, Phillip calculates how many days wages might buy a meager supply of food but at the end of his problem solving, he had to admit that the situation was still hopeless. Jesus was the only answer but Phillip didn't consider that.
The same kinds of questions still come to us today. Can you hear them in your spirit? Wherever you and I have a need, there is a corresponding question.
Where will you buy compassion today? It appears that no one understands your struggles.
Where will you buy peace? Angry people are your companions and they are not turning to the Prince of Peace.
Where will you buy intimacy? Loneliness is making you cynical and withdrawn.
Where will you buy intervention? All you know is abandonment.
Where will you buy the provision you seek? You have nothing left to sell.
The questions still exist and the test is still divinely administered. The answer is still the same but how will we respond? By working harder? Laboring longer? Waiting for humanity to deliver?
Jesus, You are my only answer. I will stop grabbing, manipulating, and despairing. You hold my answer in Your hands. In Your name, Amen
For more from Christine Wyrtzen and Jaime Wyrtzen Lauze, please visit www.daughtersofpromise.org
Originally published Tuesday, 11 May 2021.
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