Stop Wondering

Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.     (Luke 24:12 NIV)

Have you ever found yourself wondering what God is doing?

Sometimes I feel sorry for the people whose lives are captured in the pages of Scripture.  It seems like all of their lives are laid out for everyone to see: good and bad, pretty and ugly.  Peter is at the top of the list for me, probably because we share the same name.  Over the years I've found myself asking, "How could he be so stupid?  Jesus told him over and over again.  Why didn't he just listen?  If he had listened, he would have known about the death and the resurrection ahead of time.  He would have known how to react and what to do!  It's not like he needed to hear some vague small voice.  Jesus was right there with him face to face!"

To be sure, Peter could have avoided much confusion, guilt, and "wondering what had happened."  Jesus tried to tell him, but he didn't listen.  A friend reminded me recently that when God says, "listen," what He means is, "obey."  Whether he didn't hear, didn't comprehend, or wasn't willing to accept what his rabbi was telling him, the result remained the same.  Peter struggled.

I can relate to my namesake.  Over the years I've had many excellent pastors, teachers, coaches, and mentors who have tried to help me see the value in reading God's Word on a daily basis.  I fought back.  "Nowhere does it say that I must read it EVERY DAY.  Christians can't agree on translations or even the books for that matter.  It's too hard to understand anyway."  Whether I didn't hear, didn't comprehend, or I was not willing to accept what my LORD is telling me, the result remained the same.  I struggled.

In recent months, though, I've been spending time in the word each day.  I've been reading.  I've been paying attention.  I've even been taking notes!  You know what I found out?  When I take the time to hear, I do comprehend!  And, when I am willing to accept what my LORD is telling me, I don't struggle nearly as much.  Oh sure, the world still throws difficulties at me just like before, but I don't struggle over how to respond nearly as much. I experience peace in the midst of the storm.  It's like I almost know something is going to happen ahead of time because someone told me and I know how to respond because they told me that, too.

I don't blame Peter for struggling.  I just empathize with him.  Now I hope to change like he did as well.  You see, the Gospels show me a man who regularly didn't get it and so he struggled.  Later in his life, though, he knew what Jesus was calling him to do and he did it.  I know this because he wrote a couple letters later in his life to encourage Christ-followers like me...and I read them as a part of my daily routine. :-)