The Preacher walks into the room. He is returning from his morning run. I look up to greet him when I see that his eyes are red, tears are flowing down his cheeks. I immediately ask him what is wrong. He can't talk, he just sits down in a chair. I ask again, thinking he has hurt himself, or he has received a call of bad news. He shakes his head no, none of the above. He bends over, head in his hands, crying, and he cries out, "Why doesn't prayer work?". I hold him tight.
This same morning I had been reading my devotions. The scripture that was used was John 11:35, "Jesus wept." Those two words say so much about our Savior, of who He is.
Over the years I have read and seen movies of super heroes. Men and women who use their super powers to save the girl, save towns, and save the world. None do I remember crying. But here is Jesus, the True Savior of the world, crying.
He is crying over the death of His dear friend Lazarus. Maybe He is even crying over the disbelief of the people who have come to the graveside. Had Jesus prayed to the Father for Lazarus' healing? We don't know, but we know he mourned the loss of His friend. Even though Jesus knew He would raise his friend from the dead, there was still a moment of grief. Pain came before the healing.
The actions of the Preacher that morning say so much about who he is too.
The Preacher raises up from the chair and rubs his eyes. I ask again what is wrong. He proceeds to tell me that while on his run he was thinking of a friend whom he had been counseling. This friend had not grasped the grace that God offers and was proceeding down to a very dark place. He was in the pain and could not see the healing. The Preacher had been praying so hard for his friend.
The Preacher is not a super hero. He is not the savior of the world. He doesn't have any super powers. What he does have is his love for his friends, for his church members, for his family, and for the stranger that he meets by chance.
The Preacher is human. He grieves with a big heart and he loves with a big heart. Maybe, just maybe he does have super powers after all.
Love from the Preacher and I
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