We’ve seen the pictures . . . Jesus, the Good Shepherd, serenely walking along a lush green meadow carrying a young lamb, sheep leisurely following behind.
Jesus, walking through crowds, people thronging to be near Him.
Jesus . . . always calm, caring, in control.
But did He ever get upset? Angry? Sad? Stressed?
Yes!
Gospel records show us Jesus got angry at injustice. He wept and grieved when His friend Lazarus died. He had to contend with the Pharisees, constantly berating Him for healing people on Sabbath, the “wrong” day of the week.
The Son of God was a man. A man who experienced the gamut of emotions, stresses, passions, and temptations that we do—yet without sin.
This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. (Hebrews 4:15)
In every situation, the constant was His continuous connection to the Father. Jesus handled everything, including stress, by saying and doing only what the Father told Him.
I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. (John 5:19)
I [Jesus] don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. (John 12:49)
Surely, as He hung on the cross, Jesus experienced the ultimate stress. His hands and feet pierced with nails, His head crowned with thorns, His face and body bruised and bloodied, His back shredded. His closest companions had deserted Him. People on the ground cruelly shouted insults. He carried the sins of the world upon Himself.
Yet even in the midst of this unfathomable stress, His response to it flowed from His unwavering faith in the Father. He prayed to the Father, and through the Spirit’s empowering was able to say “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34a)
Perhaps His example can show us how to handle stress. Through the Spirit’s enabling and empowering we can experience Christ’s victory, as we dwell in His peaceful presence.
How would our lives change if we said and did only what the Lord told us?
Copyright © 2015 Cheryl Elton
Lately, I’ve been thinking about the importance of being sensitive to the nudges from God’s Word and the Holy Spirit. I like your emphasis on “continuous connection” to the Father. Thanks, Cheryl, for a relevant reminder . . .
It sure is something to strive for, isn’t it? Thanks, Sarah.
Doing and saying only as the Father leads is a great goal of mine. I want people to see God’s love through me, and this can only happen when I give up my agenda. God bless you!
What a great goal to have! And as you said, this only happens when we surrender to His instructions and leading. Blessings, Carol!