Carried Away

“After three days they found him…sitting…listening…asking…Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. ‘Son, why have you treated us like this?’ ‘Why were you searching for me?’ he asked…But they did not understand what he was saying to them.” Luke 2:46-50

My heart is extremely heavy for a friend and her family this morning. They have endured a fire in their home which has devastated everything in its path. This family has authentic faith but must still travel through the fear, chaos and emotions of their intruder. I ask for you at this moment to bow your head and life a prayer of unity in the Body of Christ for relief, comfort and deliverance for this family.

Any devastation beckons the question ‘Why’? God expects us to try to gain understanding when something so personal and tragic happens to us. When we ask Him ‘why’, it shows with absolute certainty our belief in Him that He was aware of the impending tragedy and already has the recovery plan. The word ‘astonished’ in the above verse is translated as ‘to be found only in the sense of knocking one out of his senses, to strike out with astonishment, terror, admiration.’ When we are struck with the terror of our circumstances, like Mary and Joseph we franticly search for Christ in the rubble. We find Christ in the lives of others, seeing him in fellowship with them, listening to their prayers and revealing His will through His answers. We feel like Mary on the sideline as a bystander wondering ‘why this?’ and ‘where are you?’

Christ welcomes our questions for it is another way He can show, reveal and fellowship with us. The boy Jesus was just as amazed as His parent’s question and they were with His actions. The Savior Christ answers us the same way when we ask ‘Why and where have you been?” To search is to have something missing…Christ is never missing from our circumstances - He is right there through it all.

While we cannot understand the why’s we can trust the Who. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. As the rain and snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish…so is my word that goes out from my mouth; it will not return empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:9-11. Our circumstances will always be followed up with blessings, growth and perfect purpose in Him. He never leaves us in our trials even if we feel He is at a distance. He is never closer than when we feel He is far away. “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.” Isaiah 40:11

Even the mother of Jesus didn’t understand why her circumstances were happening. Let us continue to pray for this family as they ‘get carried away by the Shepherd.’