Wait a Minute!

As I was doing research for this Sunday's message I was struggling with the fact that life doesn't always give us what we were hoping for. God promises us wonderful things and even promises us the smallest of things (seek first my kingdom and the necessities of life will be given you--see Matthew 6.33), but we don't always get these things. The apostle Paul, for instance, tells us that he didn't always have even the necessities (he was at times cold, hungry, naked). So what do we do with that?

As I was contemplating all of this I remembered Jesus' words about his job being to bring glory to his Father. When I was finding this verse in John 17 I also came across another, about Peter in John 21. It says, John 21:18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.” Jesus tells Peter about the kind of death that was going to come his way--so that God will be glorified through it. My thought, "Wait a minute, you mean to tell me that not only doesn't Peter get the necessities, he dies!" Apparently there is something that trumps getting what we want and even what we need, namely, God's glory. And that glory can be known even in our failing to get what we want.