...40 Days of listening to God...

“14 Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about Him spread through all the surrounding country. 15 He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

16 When He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, He went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was His custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

18 ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’

20 And He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then He began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ 22 All spoke well of Him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from His mouth. They said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?’ 23 He said to them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, “Do here also in your home town the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’ 24 And he said, ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town. 25 But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up for three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; 26 yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon.

27 There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.’ 28 When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. 29 They got up, drove Him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. 30 But He passed through the midst of them and went on His way” Luke 4:14-30.

If we’re not careful, and who among us is, we usually know what we want God to do in our lives, but we often think little about what God wants us to do in our lives.

Now imagine yourself that sabbath morning, standing at the back of the synagogue listening to apparently some kind of a prophet, sitting down in the teacher’s chair. The one thing you know is that you and your people are in a big mess, and it’s time God sorted it out. So, anyone claiming to be a prophet – let alone quoting the scriptures and saying they’re all coming true – such a prophet ought to be telling us how God will rescue his own poor people, sort out the bad characters, and smash the heathen invaders to smithereens. That is how it’s supposed to work. That is what God is meant to be doing!

But look what happens next. But look at what happens next. This young prophet is talking about grace – about ‘the year of the Lord’s favor’. Well, that’s fine; we know about the Jubilee, the time when everyone is to be released from all their debts. But this young prophet is talking about God doing it for everybody! The wicked and the pagans are going to be let off as well! We can’t have that! Who does this prophet think he is? He deserves to be lynched!

This guy, Jesus, just stood all your good, sound advice on its head.

Unfortunately, friends, God tends to do that — Jesus Himself tended to do that. He is turning the whole world upside down. That means He’s turning your whole world upside down as well. We all think we know what ought to be doing in our lives. But what about what God wants us to do in our lives?

Today, dear friends, pray that the Lord will teach you to listen to what He wants to say to you. That’s what we all ought to be doing in these forty days of Lent. Sovereign Lord, teach me to listen to You even when You’re saying things I badly don’t want to hear.

Lord Jesus Christ, son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.