Dear Friends,
Southwest Airlines runs a series of humorous television commercials in which the characters find themselves in awkward and embarrassing social situations. The voice over says, “Want to get away?”
The commercial works because it taps into the foibles, fears, and insecurities of the human condition.
On a day when Jesus explained his life and mission in graphic flesh and blood terms, many of his listeners were repulsed. (John 6:52-59). Even his disciples complained, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” (John 6:60).
John observed, “Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. So Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” (John 6:66-67).
Simon Peter, as was typical, blurted out a response. “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69).
Peter’s answer was accurate, but his opening question, “Lord, to whom can we go?” left a hint that if they had an alternative, they might go away too.”
I think Jesus’ gets equivocal responses like that from us all the time. “Lord, I am all out of options here, so I am turning to you in desperation!” That’s not exactly full body, heart and soul surrender.
Jesus’ reply to the Twelve after Peter’s statement indicates that he expects our less than faithful responses. “Jesus answered them, ‘Did I not choose you, the twelve? Yet one of you is a devil?’ He was speaking of Judas son of Simon Iscariot, for he, though one of the twelve, was going to betray him.” (John 6:70-71).
Jesus did not run Judas off even when he knew the traitorous tendencies of his heart. We can be thankful for that, having dodgy tendencies in our hearts ourselves.
Jesus knows there is infidelity towards him in our fallen humanity, but even “If we are faithless, he is faithful for he cannot deny himself” (2 Tim 2:13). Faithfulness cost him everything, but it wouldn’t be faithfulness if it didn’t cost. The price of true love is everything.
Jesus expects far less from us than we expect of ourselves. He has compassion on us like a father has compassion on his children, “for he knows how we were made, he remembers we are dust” (Ps 103:14).
We are breakable and we break. The dangerous thing is we are careless children in a world of careless children. We leave a lot of wreckage in our wake. That’s why a favorite prayer of mine is Psalm 70:1
Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
A woman, beautifully dressed and coiffed, sits across a living room from me in a Friday night small group Bible study. “The Lord won’t hear our prayers unless we are sinless, will he?” she asks. “Isn’t that what Scripture tells us?”
She is composed, but I know that her question was born in tears. There is a lot of hidden pain in her life and things are not what they seem.
“I believe you are referring to Psalm 66,” I say, turning to that chapter. “Here it is
If I had cherished iniquity in my heart
the Lord would not have listened.
But truly God has listened;
He has given heed to the words of my prayer.
Blessed be God,
because he has not rejected my prayer
or removed his steadfast love from me.
(Vs 18-20)
I continue, “The psalmist was referring to a prayer he was praying when he was in desperate trouble. Look at verses 13 and 14. He prayed
‘I will come into your house with burnt offerings;
I will pay you my vows,
those that my lips uttered
and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.’
“He prayed when he was imperfect and troubled, desperate and willing to do anything if God would help him. God heard and answered his prayer. The psalmist is saying if he had cherished his sin and clung to his own evil way of doing things, the Lord wouldn’t have listened because it would be a dishonest prayer.
“But that is not the same as sinning and being sorry for it. If we can’t come to the Lord when we have sinned, made mistakes and are desperate, we are truly hopeless, but that isn’t the case.
“I am sorry that someone taught you that you have to be perfect before God will hear your prayer and help you. What he wants is your honesty and your surrender. His grace will do the rest.”
She is visibly relieved. Over the ensuing time the group is together she comes to understand that God loves her and will hold her close while they work out the details between them. It is gift of peace and assurance she takes with her to the grave a few years later.
Jesus holds on to us even when we don’t have a good grip on him (Phil 3:12-13). As we sang as children, “We are weak, but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me!”
We are broken and weak and in varying degrees of wreckage or repair. In our shame, we would curl up in a fetal position, pull the blanket over our heads and hope it would all go away, but how is that working out for us? Or we would expend ourselves in a fruitless search for alternatives.
Every other spiritual alternative, demands of us something we cannot do. With Christ it is done!
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9). Are there any more encouraging words than these?
Others criticize us and shame us, and we beat ourselves up over our failings and inadequacies. But Christ says, “You can hide in me, and when you are seen again, it will be me they are seeing” (See, Col 3:1-4). He shelters us in his love and covers us with his glory.
Yes, we want to get away, but Peter’s question rings true to us. “Lord, to whom could we go? Our only hope and opportunity to make it out of here is with Jesus.
These thoughts came to me because of a prayer I wrote for my friend Melissa who is battling cancer and winning with the Lord’s help. I wrote this prayer to accompany a picture of Montana cowboys on a frigid February morning herding a group of pregnant cows through blowing snow to a place they could calve in relative warmth and safety
Lord,
Even in these difficult conditions, life must go on. I have learned that it goes on not by my strength nor effort nor right. My life is your gift and it continues because you love me and will me to live. So down the hard road through the wind and cold we go because you promise me a future and a hope in your word and through your action. I originally trusted you because I had no choice. Now, I know you love me and intend only good for me. You are leading me to safety and healing. You are the focus of all I desire. So with every part of my being thanking you, let’s go! Hallelujah! Amen.
Under the mercy of Christ,
Kent
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Please note that the content and viewpoints of Mr. Hansen are his own and are not necessarily those of the C.S. Lewis Foundation. We have not edited his writing in any substantial way and have permission from him to post his content.
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Kent Hansen is a Christian attorney, author and speaker. He practices corporate law and is the managing attorney of the firm of Clayson, Mann, Yaeger & Hansen in Corona, California. Kent also serves as the general counsel of Loma Linda University and Medical Center in Loma Linda, California.
Finding God’s grace revealed in the ordinary experiences of life, spiritual renewal in Christ and prayer are Kent’s passions. He has written two books, Grace at 30,000 Feet and Other Unexpected Places published by Review & Herald in 2002 and Cleansing Fire, Healing Streams: Experiencing God’s Love Through Prayer, published by Pacific Press in spring 2007. Many of his stories and essays about God’s encompassing love have been published in magazines and journals. Kent is often found on the hiking trails of the southern California mountains, following major league baseball, playing the piano or writing his weekly email devotional, “A Word of Grace for Your Monday” that is read by men and women from Alaska to Zimbabwe.