In this life, everything is ultimately left behind. There is an end to everything. That is the law of life we must seriously realize, so we do not act carelessly. Everything comes and then goes. The issue is not that things come and go, but what happens while they are present. Today we are in the world, but one day we will leave it. We come, then we go. Therefore, we must understand that whatever problem we face now will not last forever. One day, that problem will be gone. But again, the question is: what do we do during our time in the world? That is what determines the final quality of our life’s journey.
John 19:30 says, “When Jesus had tasted the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished.’ Then He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” That means he completed the purpose for which he came into the world and lived for thirty-three and a half years. He finished his task, the reason he came into this world. In life, many people can start something but cannot finish it. Many can begin but cannot carry it through to completion. Jesus’ commitment to finish his task overcame all the suffering and agony he endured. We are very grateful because we worship a Lord who not only can promise but who is faithful.
He is a God who holds his commitments to the end and does not give up even when circumstances are extremely difficult. Via Dolorosa is not merely the route Christ walked but the route of our faith journey. True Christianity always goes this way, the Via Dolorosa. Jesus could have stopped and retreated if he had wished. But we are grateful he did not; he held to his commitment. We are grateful he completed his task to the end. What he suffered did not stop him from finishing the calling he received. And he finished it perfectly.
Honestly, how many of us retreat halfway? This happens because we do not realize that everything has a purpose, and nothing is wasted in our being led to him. God accounts for everything. If God deals with someone and sees that the person truly wants to engage with Him, He will build a very intimate relationship with that person. God desires His beloveds to trust the Person of God without the slightest doubt. To His beloveds, He often deliberately brings them into circumstances that strongly tempt doubt toward God and toward His Person.
Here, we understand that fully trusting the Person of God is not easy. God wants us to trust His Person through direct experience, not merely from hearing others’ testimonies or seeing phenomena in other lives. Therefore, for those of us granted such a privilege, be prepared and act rightly. Do not doubt God. Remain faithful and obedient to Him.
Abraham, God’s beloved, was brought into situations where God became a mystery to him, even a threat. Abraham could have said, “The God I know is not like this. Why is God acting this way? Why is God doing this to me?” But Abraham did not say that. He did what God commanded. Abraham obeyed.
Abraham passed many tests: waiting for a child’s birth, experiencing times of drought, not returning to Ur of the Chaldeans, choosing to go to Egypt, and even nearly losing his wife. The climax was when Abraham had to offer his son, Isaac. Yet Abraham did not argue. Remarkable. He trusted God’s wisdom, God’s intelligence, and all his plans. If we read the Bible, as soon as Abraham heard the command, the next day he prepared the donkey, gathered his servants, and took Isaac. He did not delay. Abraham could have postponed, hoping God would “change His mind.”
From youth, Joseph had received visions that he would become a great leader, even greater than his brothers and parents. Yet Joseph’s life showed no sign of that dream coming true. He was taken into circumstances that increasingly seemed to move away from the fulfillment of God’s promise, until he ended up in prison. Joseph’s extraordinary response appears when he resists Potiphar’s wife’s temptation, saying, “How then could I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” Joseph did not suspect God of bringing him into suffering and uncertainty. He remained faithful and obedient. What about us?