In Need of His Help

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. Isaiah 53:3 (New International Version)

It is not a pleasant picture to see the words which describe the “reception” Jesus received when He walked among the very ones He not only created but the ones He came to die for and redeem. Despised, rejected, sorrow, suffering, and not esteemed. I am trying to picture my reaction if I were treated in such a way. It doesn’t have to be that extreme for my instincts to kick in. Just the perception that I am being rejected, disliked, or merely tolerated is enough to cause me to back away from the source. Yet, Jesus never backed away but continued to initiate relationships.

True initiators don’t consider the response of the one they are reaching out to. They don’t limit their actions to the actions of others. They see a need and they take the first step to meet it even if that step is never appreciated, acknowledged, or wanted. They don’t wait for the other person to “get their act together.” They don’t avoid risk. They don’t stay away from uncomfortable scenarios. They reach out and then reach out some more. That is so like God and so unlike me.

I am reminded once again how necessary God’s intervention is in my life. Becoming an initiator will take a supernatural work in me. To step away from how something will make me feel and focus on how it will meet the needs of others and bring pleasure to God will require a lot of help from God.

Who better to teach me than the One today’s verse refers to. After all, He knows why I hesitate to make others feel welcome when I am feeling unwelcome. Why I won’t risk reaching out to any who might reject me. Why feeling unwanted or unnoticed makes me withdraw rather than spurs me on to actions of love. While I am so far from His example I am within reach of His help and I am asking for that help.

Part of the answer is quick in coming. It means living my life less controlled by my perceptions and feelings and more empowered by His Spirit. I know what it is like to try and fix things on my own and it is not working. My answers and solutions are faulty at best. It is time to allow God to create in me a clean heart out of which will flow the right words and actions.

Father, take me farther. Amen.

His Strength is Perfect ~ Steven Curtis Chapman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC_lld_vUCY

He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food. Job 36:16