When God's will doesn't look good

We've all had it happen.

Received something in the mail that didn't match it's picture in the catalog.

Like a sweater a gorgeous sunshine color online arrives at your door the shade of your Grandma's crusty, harvest gold oven.

Or that incredible bargain of a stainless steel kitchen gadget arrives as... a key chain.

How about that modern, streamline coffee table that showed up packaged in 52 unassembled, hopelessly contorted, shrink wrapped pieces? (thank you, Ikea) 

Unexpected. 

Sometimes my Christian life can be like that.

I hear the Bible stories, read the missionary biographies, follow current Christian heroes... But then I look at my own life and I can think: this is not what the flannelgraph looked like. So what do we do when God hands us something unexpected. Something that looks...well...ugly? 

Not long ago, I was sitting in church thinking about this when my Pastor began to read Matthew 26:39. The scene is evening in the Garden of Gesthemane. The night Christ was betrayed and condemned to die.

"He went away again...and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done." 

As the service continued, I kept thinking: How many times I have prayed my own whining version of this prayer! Here's what it sounds like:

                                                  This can't be the best cup.

It's too small. 

It has rough edges that hurt me. 

My cup appears less beautiful than what I see in others' hands.

I've had this cup for sooooo long. 

There is no way I can find joy in this cup.

It is defective, God.

It's contents? Bitter. 

Make it pass, Lord. 

take it away. 

In drinking something, we accept it into our bodies. We allow it to have it's intended effect. We submit to its control. That's what makes a cup such a beautiful picture of God's will. 

Now take a look at the next page in the story of redemption. Christ submitted. He drank. Even though the contents were bitter indeed. But this drinking? It brought life to countless millions. And for Him? High exultation and a name above all names.

And this scene; this drinking of a difficult cup, and unexpected good rippling out to encompass not only the life of the submitted but vast numbers of others, can be viewed repeatedly on the grand stage of God's work among His people.

• Think of Joseph. He submits and drinks the cup of slavery and imprisonment...and comes out as Pharaoh's right hand man observing this: "God meant it for good to save many people alive. " 

• Abraham. Submits and leaves the security and prosperity of his current life. A bitter cup for sure. But the result? This promise: "in thee shall all families of the Earth be blessed." As a college professor of mine used to say, "You and I are in that verse." So we see the astounding effects of this submission--this drinking-- are still rippling out today. 

• Esther. Submits to her role as a spokesperson for the nation of Israel. An undesirable, dangerous cup for sure. And God uses her to single-handedly save His people from destruction. 

And we could keep listing examples all day. 

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So I pattern the close of my prayer after the Divine one: "If Your will is for me to drink this cup, I will do it. I will esteem doing Your will worthy of delayed pleasure, hardship, a bitter taste in my mouth..." And in this submission, I forget how the cup looked so small, sharp-edged, unseemly...It's contents no longer make me cringe.

Because if it's His will, I see something co-mingled with the difficult. I see sparkling good for me. And (If the Scripture examples ring true) as I drink it, this cup will overflow in waves of blessing that cannot be measured. 

I will drink it. 

Thy will be done. 

Beth
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Hey! I've changed my format a bit for this week. Bigger pictures/wider margins. Any feedback?