STAND OUT IN THE CROWD
Day 88: Have you ever felt lost in the crowd? Crowds are great places to go if you want to be anonymous. Surrounded by a mass of people it's easy to just observe without any real involvement. Not being noticed works well if you are at a concert, or a ball game, or in an airport. It's not so ideal when you find yourself in need.
As I read Luke 8 today, it seems that only a few people were willing to do what it took to get noticed when it really mattered, and that meant leaving the crowd behind. And there were plenty of crowds. As Jesus arrived in yet another area to teach and preach about the Kingdom of God it was a crowd that welcomed Him "because they had been waiting for him."
Jesus almost always had a crowd around Him. Some were friendly, like this crowd, but some were not. He had just left a crowd on the other side of the lake that begged Him to leave. En mass people often followed Him, watching and listening. Most of the time they arrived together and then they departed together. While they all saw Jesus, few made the effort to get involved personally with Him. But that was not everyone's story. There were some, driven by a need greater than being anonymous, who found the courage to step out of the crowd and into His presence.
The first to do so on this day was a synagogue leader named Jairus. It wasn't curiosity that made him leave the security of the mob, or even a desire to know Jesus - it was desperation.
"... he came and fell and Jesus' feet, pleading with him to come home with him. His only daughter who was twelve years old was dying." Luke 8:40
With the perfect knowledge of a sovereign God, Jesus knew every need around Him, but he responded to the need of the man who stepped out of the crowd. ..And to the woman who did the same. With the crowds still following Him, Jesus headed for Jairus' house. Along the way, a woman who had suffered from a bleeding condition for twelve years also took a chance. She, too, was desperate.
"Coming up behind Jesus, she touch the fringe of His robe. Immediately, the bleeding stopped." Luke 8:43
Jesus also stopped. Looking out at the crowd he wanted to know who had touched Him and received healing power. Everyone in the crowd denied it. Then the woman "fell on her knees before him" and as the crowd listened in anonymously, she explained what she had done. The woman who had been just part of the crowd, stepped out, fell out His feet, and was not disappointment.
"Daughter," he said, "your faith has made you well. Go in peace." Luke 8:48
Then something unexpected happened. A messenger arrived to say the little girl Jesus was going to help had died. With the crowd still surrounding Him, it was only to Jairus, who was out of the crowd and at His side, that Jesus spoke words of hope. "Don't be afraid. Just have faith, and she will be healed." They arrived at Jairus' house which was crowded with "people weeping and wailing; but Jesus said... 'She isn't dead' she's only asleep."
With one voice, the crowd just laughed at what Jesus was telling them. It would not be the crowd who would see a miracle. Only those who had already made a point of stepping out of the crowd to seek Jesus would see what came next.
Jesus wouldn't let anyone go in with him (to the girl's room) but Peter, John, James and the little girl's father and mother." Luke 8: 53
In that room, they witnessed Jesus bring the little girl back to life with the power of His spoken word. "...Her parents were overwhelmed."
Only those who recognized their desperate need seemed willing to step out of the crowd and into Jesus' presence. Everyone else was content to get lost in the crowd, watching anonymously, risking nothing and gaining little. The miracles happened for those who stepped out of the crowd and fell at Jesus feet.
Maybe the worst place to feel like part of an anonymous crowd is at church. We herd in, sing, listen, pray and herd back out. It is easy to disappear surrounded by other Christians. What if, though, our churches were a place where people were not a herd, but really heard? What if we didn't all pretend everything is great, but stepped out and shared our desperate needs? What we would witness if we encouraged one another to be honest, to be involved, to be uniquely individual together? Would more people get out of the pews and fall at the feet of Jesus if the rest of us cheered for such a thing... did such a thing ourselves?
I don't want to be in the spiritual crowd content to watch God work from the sidelines; but it is easy to do. It is easy to get lost in the crowd being nothing more than an observer. It's easy to get lost in the crowd of believers content to watch others run hard after God and settle for their amazing stories - or no stories at all. And it is so much safer to join the crowd of people mourning hopelessness rather than following Jesus alone believing His power can overwhelm even MY situations.
Today I am asking God for the courage not to search for security in the crowd, but to fall at His feet in my need. And to cheer others on to stand out in His presence, too.
Day 88 of 365
Deuteronomy 13:1-15-23
Luke 8:40 - 9:6
Psalm 71
Proverbs 12:5-7
As I read Luke 8 today, it seems that only a few people were willing to do what it took to get noticed when it really mattered, and that meant leaving the crowd behind. And there were plenty of crowds. As Jesus arrived in yet another area to teach and preach about the Kingdom of God it was a crowd that welcomed Him "because they had been waiting for him."
Jesus almost always had a crowd around Him. Some were friendly, like this crowd, but some were not. He had just left a crowd on the other side of the lake that begged Him to leave. En mass people often followed Him, watching and listening. Most of the time they arrived together and then they departed together. While they all saw Jesus, few made the effort to get involved personally with Him. But that was not everyone's story. There were some, driven by a need greater than being anonymous, who found the courage to step out of the crowd and into His presence.
The first to do so on this day was a synagogue leader named Jairus. It wasn't curiosity that made him leave the security of the mob, or even a desire to know Jesus - it was desperation.
"... he came and fell and Jesus' feet, pleading with him to come home with him. His only daughter who was twelve years old was dying." Luke 8:40
With the perfect knowledge of a sovereign God, Jesus knew every need around Him, but he responded to the need of the man who stepped out of the crowd. ..And to the woman who did the same. With the crowds still following Him, Jesus headed for Jairus' house. Along the way, a woman who had suffered from a bleeding condition for twelve years also took a chance. She, too, was desperate.
"Coming up behind Jesus, she touch the fringe of His robe. Immediately, the bleeding stopped." Luke 8:43
Jesus also stopped. Looking out at the crowd he wanted to know who had touched Him and received healing power. Everyone in the crowd denied it. Then the woman "fell on her knees before him" and as the crowd listened in anonymously, she explained what she had done. The woman who had been just part of the crowd, stepped out, fell out His feet, and was not disappointment.
"Daughter," he said, "your faith has made you well. Go in peace." Luke 8:48
Then something unexpected happened. A messenger arrived to say the little girl Jesus was going to help had died. With the crowd still surrounding Him, it was only to Jairus, who was out of the crowd and at His side, that Jesus spoke words of hope. "Don't be afraid. Just have faith, and she will be healed." They arrived at Jairus' house which was crowded with "people weeping and wailing; but Jesus said... 'She isn't dead' she's only asleep."
With one voice, the crowd just laughed at what Jesus was telling them. It would not be the crowd who would see a miracle. Only those who had already made a point of stepping out of the crowd to seek Jesus would see what came next.
Jesus wouldn't let anyone go in with him (to the girl's room) but Peter, John, James and the little girl's father and mother." Luke 8: 53
In that room, they witnessed Jesus bring the little girl back to life with the power of His spoken word. "...Her parents were overwhelmed."
Only those who recognized their desperate need seemed willing to step out of the crowd and into Jesus' presence. Everyone else was content to get lost in the crowd, watching anonymously, risking nothing and gaining little. The miracles happened for those who stepped out of the crowd and fell at Jesus feet.
Maybe the worst place to feel like part of an anonymous crowd is at church. We herd in, sing, listen, pray and herd back out. It is easy to disappear surrounded by other Christians. What if, though, our churches were a place where people were not a herd, but really heard? What if we didn't all pretend everything is great, but stepped out and shared our desperate needs? What we would witness if we encouraged one another to be honest, to be involved, to be uniquely individual together? Would more people get out of the pews and fall at the feet of Jesus if the rest of us cheered for such a thing... did such a thing ourselves?
I don't want to be in the spiritual crowd content to watch God work from the sidelines; but it is easy to do. It is easy to get lost in the crowd being nothing more than an observer. It's easy to get lost in the crowd of believers content to watch others run hard after God and settle for their amazing stories - or no stories at all. And it is so much safer to join the crowd of people mourning hopelessness rather than following Jesus alone believing His power can overwhelm even MY situations.
Today I am asking God for the courage not to search for security in the crowd, but to fall at His feet in my need. And to cheer others on to stand out in His presence, too.
Day 88 of 365
Deuteronomy 13:1-15-23
Luke 8:40 - 9:6
Psalm 71
Proverbs 12:5-7
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