Words Fail

Matthew 10:19-20—When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Time and again, Jesus warned His disciples that they would not always be well-received.  He prepared them to be ridiculed, excluded, and persecuted.  Though Christianity is certainly more mainstream now than it has been at other times, historically-speaking, there is still ample persecution directed toward those who love Christ.  God’s love for us is unique, individualized, and complex.  He is the same God, unwavering and steadfast, but our ability to perceive Him, and the way He reveals Himself, to us is wholly personal.  That is one reason God identified Himself as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, etc., in the Old Testament.  Each person had an individual and personal relationship with God – they knew Him in a different way.  It’s kind of like how we know our parents differently than their friends know them.  They are the same person, but our experiences color the way we know them.  This personalized knowledge, though, can lead to conflict among Christians.  It can cause those outside Christianity to question the truth of Christianity.  It might cause us to be labeled hypocrites or something even worse.  When we face conflict, God tells us we have nothing to fear.  He assures us that He will give us the right words.  We are not to worry or be concerned for the Lord never needs defending, and He is quick to protect His Sheep.

Today as you pray and meditate on His Word, praise God for protecting you and speaking through you.  Rejoice in His constant love.  Pray that your spirit would be open to God’s movement.  Allow yourself to be a vessel for the Lord and ask Him to speak through you with wisdom, knowledge, and clarity so that His Will might be fulfilled in your life.