It was a green light, and I was going straight through. An oncoming driver, busily adjusting his car radio, turned left into what was currently my space in the intersection. We each careened off one another, me over the curb, headed for a tall hedge which I wanted to avoid. To its left was a power pole which I also wanted to avoid so I steered between them. Those five seconds would have ended well had there not been a guide wire there, supporting a pole with a transformer atop. I snapped the wire, toppling the transformer on top of my Chevy Vega (it V-crimped my roof, landing on my passenger seat, barely missing me). Well, I figured I might need some help now, so I got out of the car into the street where the rush hour traffic was now at a standstill. Live power lines were now slithering and arcing in the roadway. A slightly excited police officer ordered me out of the roadway. Did I mention that it was pouring rain??
Moral of this story: It can be dangerous to not know what you don’t know! Fortunately, danger is not always involved. But, to not know what you don’t know (in other words, to be oblivious), can leave one open to a cringeworthy situation where you might pray the ground would open to swallow you (sparing details, let’s just say I’m too well acquainted with that feeling).
Consider with me, Jesus’ disciples. They’d been astonished at his teaching. They’d been wowed by his healings and deliverances. They’d been struck speechless at his ability to raise the dead. They’d become convinced he truly was the Messiah. They’d regularly been in awe of his committed friendship to them despite their all-over-the-place-ness. They’d seen him create food and multiply it, feeding a massive crowd with leftovers from the abundance! And, still, the full impact of who he who he was had not yet succeeded in opening their hearts – not all the way, not permanently. What more would they experience with Jesus? When would they have the faith to anticipate his next move? When would the things they ‘knew’ no longer block what they were yet to ‘know?’ When would they get to the place where his power and ability were ‘the norm,’ moving their hearts to highest worship?
The church Jesus established now spans two thousand years and is reaching to the corners of the globe! Today, our lives are joined with the millions of believers who’ve gone before us and who are now peering down over heaven’s parapets, cheering us on. What more will we experience with Jesus? When will we have the faith to anticipate his next move? When will the things we ‘know’ no longer block what we are yet to ‘know?’ When will we get to the place where his power and ability are ‘the norm,’ moving our hearts to highest worship? I have an idea. Let’s always be learning, always listening, always obeying, always following, always. And let’s do it together. Looking forward to seeing y’all tomorrow, 10 AM, 3 PM UK, 4 PM FR. PD
