Matthew 24:9-14
Find a place and time free of distractions for the next 7-10 minutes. Sit comfortably and breathe deeply for a few seconds before you begin. As you breathe in, say the name of Jesus and become aware of his presence with you. As you breathe out, open your mind and heart to receive whatever Jesus has for you today.
As Jesus continues to describe the “birth pains” to come, read Matthew 24:9-14 noting any thoughts that come to mind as you read.
Prophecy is often challenging to understand in the moment because the prophet, who is speaking for God, can shift from present to future to the far future depending on how God inspires. Though Jesus laid aside his right to be God when he came to live among us, his connection with God the Father is constant and unbroken, so when he prophecies he is speaking directly for God and is not bound by a human understanding of time. In this prophetic passage Jesus begins speaking into the future experience of his first century disciples and then moves all the way to the end of time as we know it.
For the disciples this is critical. They are about to face incredible difficulties that for some of them will mean physical death. They need to understand that they are a crucial part of a larger story – a story that ends with the Good News of Jesus reaching the whole earth.
And we, too, are part of the grand story of God.
What kind of story is God writing with your life? Do you view your life as part of a much larger story? Stop to think about this and then share your thoughts openly with Jesus.
Read Matthew 24:9-14 again with these thoughts in mind.
We live in a world that is sick with rebellion against God’s good and perfect ways. It is a world that reels with sin and deception and at the same time reflects the beauty of God’s creation. We will all face difficulties, and though most reading this will not give their lives for the sake of the Good News, each of us who truly follows Jesus will at times be misunderstood or ridiculed for living like a citizen of God’s upside-down Kingdom.
When we realize that we are co-creators with Jesus living on his mission to restore the world to God’s original dream, our present troubles will seem far less difficult and perhaps even worth it.
For the remainder of this meditation, prayerfully contemplate the words of the Apostle Paul to the church at Corinth:
“That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now, rather we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” – 2 Corinthians 416-18
What might Jesus be saying to you today?
How will you respond?
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