Don’t You Understand Yet?

Good morning, Church family. What a beautiful Spring week we’ve had. There’s been sun and rain and warmer weather – and a multitude of reasons to be thankful to God for his active presence in our lives. I’ll admit that there are many times I want more from God, but a key area I’ve been working on is finding contentment in spite of difficulties and disappointments. And a key way to be content is to see the good things I already have been given.

In this morning’s text (Mark 8:1-21), we see that sometimes we still don’t see.  In spite of all that we have come to believe about God, even people like us who think of ourselves as people of faith still may not see as clearly as we think. At least, that was true for Jesus’ first disciples, and I think it’s probably true for us sometimes, too.

How many times have we been in need, had God provide for our need, and then the next time we feel a need we still struggle or complain? How many times has God shown up for us when we needed it most only to question whether God really cares the next time we got ourselves into a mess? It’s hard to deal with new struggles when we haven’t fully learned to lean on God. It’s a bad habit of mine – and maybe of yours – to focus too much on wanting to be in charge of what’s happening in my life. If something seems to be going wrong, I want to fix it, and I want to fix it now. But God, not me, is the one in control, and I need to develop a humble heart that trusts him to do what is needed when the time is right. Let’s keep praying for each other as we try to grow in our faith.

—Patrick Barber