ROCKVILLE
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Mark 9:30-32
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30 They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 31 because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.
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There are some revelations that can feel initially like an unbearable weight. Often times we struggle to grasp the fullest picture of what the Lord is saying, and our deceitful hearts will latch onto a fragment of it and want to retreat from further knowing. The issue is not with the truth that is revealed, or the One who is revealing it, but with the condition of our battered hearts. We are fearful because we don’t understand the heart of God. We draw back because we are not wholehearted as we should be. We avoid further pursuit of truth because we desperately want to preserve our comfort. But just like in this account, Jesus desires intimate discourse with us. He wants to clear away the noise and bring us a life giving word. In this same account, according to Luke 9:44, Jesus says “Let is saying sink down into your ears..(ESV)”. He calls us to fearlessly pursue truth and understanding. He invites us to personally receive revelation and instruction, for our personal lives and pertaining to the Kingdom of God in general.
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“The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him, and He will show them His covenant” (Psalm 25:14)
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“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter” (psalm 25:2)
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When the word of the Lord seems to dash our most treasured expectations into a sudden or painful disappointment to our flesh, we should not retreat, but press in further. We need to “taste and see that the Lord is good” and reject any thought or feeling that suggests differently. The disciples hearts were grieved at this word (Matthew 17:23), but at this point they decline the opportunity to inquire more fully of the Lord. Fear and grief effectively stopped them. Eventually they would understand the miraculous and life giving message the Lord was speaking. The very death He spoke of would be salvation, healing, and deliverance for their souls and millions more.
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Is there a word the Lord has spoken that your heart doesn’t want to receive? Is there a hard truth that you just can’t understand? Pursue the One who knows most fully. Remember the Lord in His goodness, and that the word of the Lord is always sent to bring life and wholeness.
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“The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you..” (Luke 8:10)
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