Holy Week - Tension is Building

(continuing my devotions from www.crosswalk.com. This is yesterday's lesson. I was too tired to post last night)

And I when I be lifted up
I'll draw all men unto me

That's a great chorus from am old hymn
Such powerful thing to know.

Jesus said those words just days before he was arrested. He must have had so much on his mind. I wonder if he was stressed? Did he know (I mean really know how much it was going to hurt?

Today's devotional from crosswalk states the following:
 Put yourself in the disciples’ place on that Wednesday before the original Easter. They must have been feeling pretty good, right? After all they’d just seen their leader receive a hero’s welcome and watched him kick butt in the temple. They had to be riding pretty high.

Now think how Jesus must have felt that day: He was in countdown mode. He alone understood what was coming; surely it was on his mind well before he headed to the Garden of Gethsemane. Watching his clueless disciples, dealing with the crowds ... what were his thoughts? Every time he looked at Judas, did his heart break just a little more?

I wonder what the disciples were thinking. Did they notice a change in Jesus? Was he quieter? I would have been quiet and moody and snappish.  The anticipation would be impossible to bear.

Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!” (John 12:27-28)
Did Jesus yell that or was he excited?  Sounds like nerves to me. I'll bet that the disciples were truly confused.

What would you do if, like Jesus on that Wednesday, you knew you only had a couple of days left to live? What’s stopping you from doing those things now?
If it was me? I'd be irritable, crabby, and generally moody. I also don't think I'd keep it to myself. I'd definitely be talking to my BFF and my accountability partner. I certainly couldn't keep that kind of info to myself. I don't know if Jesus felt the stress but I do like to humanize him in thinking he did.  I don't think he had any doubt about what he was doing or why but I do believe his soul was grieving for what was about to come.

We know Jesus prayed. I would definitely pray too.  So what's stopping me from doing that now? Nothing. I am finding this year that the concept of praying without ceasing becomes easier and may be more practical when you have help.  My help is the One Little Word (OLW) study that my church study group is doing.  My word is Trust.

I'm learning quite a bite about this word.  I'm learning that to trust in God one must be patient. I'm not a patient person. I want what I want and I want it now.  My OLW has helped through some tense moments in the last few weeks.  My OLW has been a help to me just this week.

My OLW is helping in this study this week.  My OLW is bring me closer to God.

If you don't have a word you study or can meditate or pray on, I highly recommend that you pick one. It can help you get to the point where you can answer the questions What would you do? What is stopping you from doing those things today?

Will you join me this week and meditate on these things?