The "What If's" of God

Saturday morning I was in a prayer meeting at my church. We always begin with a time of worship and I just began to pour out my heart to the Lord. I said to Him “Jesus, You’re all I need.” Immediately, I “heard” His response in my spirit “What if I was all you had? Would you still say I was all you need?”

I realize that spiritually He is all I have – not having any righteousness or hope of salvation on my own. But I have always had a place to live, I have always had a job, I have been mostly healthy, I have a loving family and some very dear friends. I have always had enough money for my needs, I have always had a car. I don’t have any idea what it means to have nothing but Jesus.

He is confronting me these days with all of the grand statements of devotion that I make. The beautifully spiritual phrases that come out of my mouth, having no comprehension of the depth of meaning contained within them.

What if I really understood and meant, with everything that is within me, the things that I say to Him in times of worship?

These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. Matthew 15:8

Let this never be said of me, Lord.

And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?" Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not." He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me." Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!" Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead." But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. Mark 9:14-27

As I read this story today, one that I have read dozens of times, something caught my attention that I had never noticed before. The demon manifests when brought to Jesus and the boy is laying on the ground in front of Jesus and the boy’s father, writhing and foaming at the mouth. It actually says the boy was wallowing – rolling around on the ground. So with all of this going on right in front of Him, Jesus decides to have a conversation with the boy’s father! While I was reading this I found myself asking “Jesus, who cares how long this has been happening. Why didn’t you just go ahead and cast that demon out?” I can imagine that father standing there watching his son, desperate for Jesus to just do something.

And then I heard a question in my spirit – “What if your sons must go through suffering before their deliverance? What if it means the trauma of illness or injury; or the disgrace of prison; or the misfortune of life-altering bad choices? Will you still believe me to save them even if I stand with you and watch them suffer?”

BrokenOne,
Wow, you said a mouthfull there! I think we all have the same dilema......How to stay real.
I was just watching a special on TBN and now am out here in my office. In the special MAC,the guy with 3rd day was singing [I love that guy] and I was thinking "I wish I was as real as MAC. [sometimes I feeel so fake] and i realized THE REAL ONE LIVES IN ME! [there is hope!]
Anyway I come out here to see what you guys are doing and I see this thread. Wow! Is this a word or what!?
......David

BrokenOne,

This one indeed needs reviewing again by all. So
easy as an old country Gospel song says to "talk of faith when you're up on a mountain and you've got peace of mind like you never knew, but things change and you're down in a valley, that's when faith is really put to the test".

There has to come that time in all the lives of those who are authentic as it did in Paul's life where the thorn is not removed, the one next to you sick unto death is not healed, or like in Job's life when the bad news interrupts the bad news interrupting the bad news and when
Job 23:8 - 14 (NKJV) 8 “Look, I go forward, but He is not there, And backward, but I cannot perceive Him; 9 When He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him; When He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him. 10 But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. 11 My foot has held fast to His steps; I have kept His way and not turned aside. 12 I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food. 13 “But He is unique, and who can make Him change? And whatever His soul desires, that He does. 14 For He performs what is appointed for me, And many such things are with Him.

I believe it was the late Adrian Rogers that said, "a faith that has not been tested is a faith that cannot be trusted".

God deliver us from empty and shallow platitudes and bogus claims that those living like the father of this child in this scripture hear from the "disciples". What they need is someone who really knows and walks with God and has walked where they are walking.

Clint