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by Bob and Debby Gass
Seeing the Hand of God in It
November 27, 2014
‘Friend, do what you came to do.’ Matthew 26:50 NCV
Jesus looked at Judas in Gethsemane and said, ‘Friend, do what you came to do.’ It’s hard to imagine the Lord calling Judas His ‘friend’. Judas was indeed a disciple and therefore a friend, which made his betrayal all the more sinister. But Jesus knew that God brings good from bad situations (Romans 8:28), even the betrayal of a friend. How? He saw another force at work: ‘This is…the time when darkness rules.’ (Luke 22:53 NCV) Judas wasn’t acting alone—and neither are our attackers. Paul says, ‘Our fight is not against people on earth but against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness, against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly world.’ (Ephesians 6:12 NCV) Those who attack and betray us are influenced by a fallen world and a sinful nature. While they’re accountable for what they do, they’re also living under deception. (2 Corinthians 4:3-4) Jesus knew His Father’s purposes would be achieved through Judas, and realising this helps us deal with those who hurt us. Even though Judas didn’t understand the bigger picture, God used his actions to fulfil Christ’s destiny. Of the 98 words Christ spoke at His arrest, 30 were about the purpose of God. ‘It must happen this way to bring about what the Scriptures say…“All these things have happened so that it will come about as the prophets wrote.”’ (Matthew 26:54–56 NCV) Jesus understood that His immediate struggle was part of a greater plan and saw the hand of God at work in it. If you pay attention, you’ll see His hand at work in your struggle too.
Soulfood: Gen 17–19, Jn 13:31–38, Ps 118:1–9, Prov 31:6–9
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright © 2014
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