24 OCT 23 Tuesday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 24 OCT 23 Tuesday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: ‘O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike.  Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way! No one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’” Matt. 11:25, 27b

There are so many things that are puzzling in this life.  When talking to people about the Lord, they often take issue with things God hasn’t done.  If they were God, they would handle this problem in one way and allow other things to happen.  Sometimes believers in their frustration, wonder why God operates the way he does.  We don’t understand that God doesn’t operate like us.  His ways, motivations, and plans are different than ours. 

 If Jesus is thankful for that, shouldn’t we? The passage in Matthew is just after a paragraph about Jesus denouncing the towns where people did not repent and believe.  They had heard the message and witnessed miracles,  and many of those people had a miracle done for them and yet did not believe in him.  Jesus dusted his feet of the people who rejected him and confirmed God’s plan at the same time.  How so you may ask.

Jesus tells us that God chose to hide the truth of the good news from some people, those who think themselves wise and clever.  It says that God was pleased to do it this way.  His glory and pleasure are at the forefront of all that He does and doesn’t do.  It is a fundamental truth that He ultimately decides what can make us vulnerable and dependent on his mercy.  We can’t manipulate God into giving us his favor, grace itself is his unmerited favor.

There is another interesting and hard truth in this passage, Jesus chooses who he will reveal himself and God to.  He intentionally seeks after those he desires to be in a relationship with.  The Father and the Son determine the who and will send the Holy Spirit to initiate that relationship by changing the heart, opening the eyes and ears, and preparing them for the encounter.  Those are the people who respond positively to the message.

Do you wonder why some people are not responding to the Gospel?

Reading Plan: Psalm 26, 28; Lam. 1:1-5, 10-12; 1 Cor. 15:41-50; Matt. 11:25-30