"For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth." ~ Deuteronomy14:2

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Pleasant Stone Devotional Meditation: May 31

"And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only" ~ Matthew 7:7-8
Matthew's account of this mystery on the mountain, which James and John and Peter beheld that day, throws one more shaft of light on our "blue stone" verse and another "facet" appears.  Yesterday, we saw that the disciples were balanced again after they "lifted up their eyes" and "saw no man save Jesus only."

Here we see something else had to happen before they could lift up their eyes from their own confusion. We get so tangled among the ropes of our own "tremendous plans," our own confusions, our own anxieties, our own fears, that we forget to lift up our eyes and look at Jesus alone. Or even if we remember, somehow we seem powerless to do it. Here again, we must remind ourselves that what gets our attention is us!

There were the three disciples "on their face, and sore afraid," completely overshadowed by a cloud. A cloud that seemingly did not disappear until they lifted up their eyes and "saw no man save Jesus only." Here then, is the newly exposed facet of this "blue stone".

Jesus knows you are in that "cloud." He knows about your fears and confusions. He knows what caused them. Perhaps you wanted to run ahead like Peter. Perhaps there is another cause. At any rate, God has had to quiet you. But in the cloud that overshadows you, God is speaking. And he is speaking as He always speaks, of His Beloved Son. If you are powerless to raise your own eyes to look back at Jesus once more, rest there, because Jesus stands right beside you. And He knows the depths of your trouble. In a moment, He will touch you and say, "Arise, and do not be afraid."

"... It pleased the Father than in him should all fullness dwell ... Ye are complete in him ..."

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