“What’s Next?”
The presidential impeachment trial, Iowa caucus confusion, the coronavirus, the wildfires in Australia, the winter that was not – we live in strange times. What’s next? Sometimes we ask that question from a perspective of exasperated frustration: What’s next??!! We wonder (maybe even fear) what other weird things may come our way. But we can ask that same question from a different perspective – from a perspective of hopeful expectation. What am I supposed to learn from this situation that is before me? What is the Lord trying to teach me here? What’s next?
There are times in our lives when we feel that we’ve been stretched to the limit, and if we get stretched anymore, we will snap. And it won’t be pretty. Recently, a member of my congregation shared something that helped me see the “What’s next?” question in a new light. In worship on the first Sunday in February (the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany on the church’s calendar), the Gospel lesson was from Matthew 5:1-11 (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew+5%3A1-12&version=ESV), a portion of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount commonly referred to as the Beatitudes. That word “beatitude” comes from the Latin, beatus, meaning “happy or blessed.” Again and again, Jesus uses this word: “Blessed.” In Jesus’ upside-down kingdom the last are first and the first are last, the powerful and mighty are cast down from their thrones and the lowly are lifted up, the hungry are filled with good things and the rich are sent away empty-handed. Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world, and it doesn’t fit into the framework of this world’s operating definition of how things work. Here in Jesus’ kingdom, that first beatitude reads like this: “Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). So what does that mean?
What was shared with me by that congregational member was a different translation of Matthew 5:3 that comes from a version of Scripture called The Message. This version of Scripture is not a word-for-word translation, but a thought-for-thought narrative. The point of The Message is not necessarily to translate the original Hebrew or Greek words with their best equivalent words in English, but to render these in such a way that the underlying thought of Scripture is given fresh understanding and new meaning. The Message puts Matthew 5:3 like this: “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.” Wow! Less of me and more of God? Could that be the very point of those situations in life where I feel like I’m getting to the end of my rope and asking, “What’s next?”
The Lord’s purpose in those trying situations in life is not to make us miserable, but to help us grow as his beloved children. When we try something new in life – begin an exercise program, learn a new language, start a new job – we will be stretched. This may involve some pain, and we may even think: “I can’t do this. It’s too much.” The same holds true in our journey of faith. Jesus never promised that following him would be easy, or that life would always go according to our plan. But Jesus did promise that he would be with us always, even to the end of the world (Matthew 28:18-20). It is precisely in those moments on our journey of faith when we feel discouraged and weak that we need to remind ourselves of Matthew 5:3: “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.”
What’s next? God knows. We do not know what this year will hold for us, but we do know and believe that we have a gracious and loving God who did not withhold the life of his only Son, but freely gave him up for us all. And because this is true, we have confidence that God will be there for us every step of the way, especially when we feel like we are at the end of our rope. Because of this, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
Grace to you and peace in Jesus Christ our Savior.