Maybe this time of so many cutbacks is actually a time of great gain…

I woke up eager to get ready to attend the drive in service at our church on Sunday. It had been weeks since we had gathered together due to the quarantine, and I was so excited and full of joy to see people in person, even if it was just from my car. We sat in the full parking lot, with our car windows down, listening to our pastor share a message from Luke 19. It was such a great word of encouragement, and a perfect reminder to reflect on the fact that Jesus came to seek and to save the lost-and the lost being everyone. We have all sinned and we all fall short of the glory of God, therefore we are all in fact lost, and Jesus come to seek and save you and me.

As I sat listening to these words spoken by our pastor, there were some verses further along in the chapter that caught my eye, gripped my heart, and has taken hold of my mind ever since I read them.

Luke 19:41-44
“As he (Jesus) approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

There are very few recorded accounts of Jesus weeping, and this happens to be one of them. In the beginning of this chapter, we read that Jesus came to seek and save the lost, and now we find that He is weeping over the city of Jerusalem. Jesus was there in the flesh seeking them, with the very purpose to save them, and yet they did not recognize the true peace He was offering, nor the presence of God that had been with them, and therefore, the heart of our Savior was grieved.

During a time when things seem very difficult for us today, and many find themselves hard pressed, it’s encouraging to know that Jesus is still seeking to save the lost! Jesus longs for us to recognize His presence and that He has come to us and for us! He longs for us to recognize Him as the true giver of the peace that surpasses all understanding! He longs for these truths to no longer be hidden from our eyes. He longs for us to see!

So many things have been removed from our lives right now, and maybe it was those very things that have been blocking our view? Maybe there have been things in our lives that have served to be a distraction for those of us who are already in Christ, causing us to lose sight of our true mission in life? Maybe those who are still lost and being sought after by Jesus are having things removed from their lives so they can finally have a clear view to actually see what would bring them true peace, and recognize God’s coming to them?

Maybe this time of so many cutbacks is actually a time of great gain…

Jesus came with the clear purpose of seeking to save the lost, and that’s why we call Him Savior! I pray that there doesn’t comes a day when Jesus looks upon our cities with weeping because the working He is striving to do in the here and now remains hidden from our eyes!

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” 

Philippians 1:21