Day 216 “His will is always worth waiting for.”

Day 216 Matthew 26:6-9 And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.” In the gospel of John, Chapter 12, we are told that this woman was Mary, the sister of Martha, both the sisters of Lazarus whom Jesus had raised from the dead. John also tells us that the disciple who was so critical of this selfless act was none other than Judas Iscariot, the one who was soon to betray Jesus. Judas was also the one in charge of the money or the treasurer for the disciples. Therefore, the fact that this oil was worth about one year’s wages was of particular interest to him, for had they been given the oil and been able to sell it, he, of course, would have control of a larger amount of money. You see, it is generally accepted as fact that Judas was stealing from the disciples in order to further his own agenda; little did he know. It is also noteworthy to mention that Mary was the same one who had been criticized for sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to His teachings rather than helping Martha with the chores. Mary was one who was in touch with what was going on and where things were headed; she had paid attention, listened, and waited, often to the chagrin of those around her. Yet now, when things are getting serious, she is actually the one who understands better than anyone else what is about to happen. I want to be more like Mary and less like the others, but to be more like Mary takes a lot of work. You see, most of us are Martha's; we tend to be impatient and want to see things being resolved rather than waiting and listening. We tend to be doers and fixers often to the point of missing the point. I believe that this can be illustrated by a flurry of activities that I had been involved in, and before I go on, I would like to say that this, in no way, reflects the depth or conviction of those involved in the story; it is rather an observation. About four years ago, just prior to Christmas, I was involved in three rather major construction projects at the church. It seemed that no matter what I did, I was bombarded with a plethora of opinions and discussions on what and how I should be doing things. It was so aggravating and counterproductive that I simply shut down and avoided everyone in order to accomplish my task. In the end, I was actually forced to delay the projects due largely in part to these distractions. However, if I desired to have a discussion regarding how God was leading or what passages meant, I could hardly drum up a conversation or anyone to speak with. You see, we have become such a society of doing and so results oriented that I fear our time seeking the Lord and His direction has moved down the list of priorities when, in fact, His will for us should never leave the top of the list. Our commitment to daily seek Him and His direction for us truly should be our first and foremost task, so I ask you today "How are you doing with that?" If you're like me, it is truly a struggle yet it is a battle that each one of us must win. We truly must overcome our fleshly desires and influences and daily fill ourselves with His Word and seek His will for each of us in prayer. Daily Prayer: Father, I confess to you that I have spent far too much time doing and far too little time waiting and listening for Your lead. Please forgive me, I ask, and teach me how to be more patient with life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. “His will is always worth waiting for.” Gene Burroughs, Pastor