Knowing versus Experiencing
Do you trust that some things you cannot understand today?
Verse of the Day
“So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy.”
Today’s Devotional
Jesus is telling the disciples that He is leaving. And they just don’t understand. I would not have understood either. The Messiah is finally here. And now He is saying that He is leaving?
There are many things in life we cannot possibly understand until we experience them. Before we experience something, the knowledge we have is theoretical. How many of us felt like we knew how to be a good parent before we ever had kids? The same is true of a marriage relationship. People say that marriage takes a lot of work, but before we get married we think that can’t possibly be true. It’s the difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge.
Going back to what Jesus is telling the disciples… When they saw Him again, it would be after His gruesome death. And seeing Him again, in the flesh, meant that He was resurrected from the dead. It meant that they might have a clearer picture of what He had been talking about all along. It wasn’t about a political leader or an earthly king, it’s about a final sacrifice that allows direct access to God without a priest and slaying an animal. Direct access to God! That was unheard of. And the joy that the disciples must have felt because of seeing Jesus again in the flesh after His death changed everything. It cemented in their hearts and lives the lessons He had been trying to teach them. It was the joy of the combination of confusing head knowledge with real-life, experiential heart knowledge. Jesus really is the Messiah. He is victorious over sin and death. All because God loves us that much.
Granted, we have a perspective on all of this that the disciples could not have possibly had at the time Jesus spoke those words. Hindsight is a valuable tool of faith. Things that did not make sense finally click in our brain. God showing up and showing off in our lives grows our faith and trust in Him, which leads us to joy. Joy that no person nor situation can steal from us. I would propose that we do have the option to ignore such joy, or forget, or minimize.
For me, that’s why journaling is important. It helps me to remember that God is worthy of my trust, even when things are scary and uncertain. And when I remind myself of all the ways God has shown up in the past, there is joy, peace, and trust that he will continue to be God in my life. No one can take that from me. People can argue over things they think they know. But no one can argue with your experience.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
Do you believe Jesus when He says that your current sorrows will be turned to joy?
Can you see evidence in your past of how God has used difficult things for your good and His glory?
Whatever your “sorrow” is today, ask (maybe even beg) for God to help you to trust in his sovereign plan.
Thank him for the evidence from your past that helps you to trust him today.