There and back again
It’s a strange thing finding my self back in hospital again. One year and one month minus 3 days have past my life changed forever — and I can’t believe how much has changed.
In my last post I focused on the anniversary, on how miraculous it was that I lived another year, never mind another day since my unexpected diagnosis of a brain tumor that was on the verge of killing me. I was snatched from a fire I didn’t even know I was in because the smoking was obscuring the view to that extent. But I have written on that, and now I am here again. I have to have another surgery. It’s still scary from a human point of view. But everything is different because of the journey I have been on from then to now.
Like the Hobbit had his first adventure, which he only did by agreeing to leave the comfort of the shire, and returned forever changed, so too I am forever changed by what happened since the that day.
The battles that had been fought. The trips taken. The people encountered along the way. The prayers answered. The miracles that occurred when almost everyone said they couldn’t. To say my entire life is different today from then is truthfully the biggest understatement.
Scripture says :
““What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”
Ecclesiastes 1:9 NIV
http://bible.com/111/ecc.1.9.niv”
So how — how can I say that everything is different ?
Well when Solomon wrote the above he did so with God’s gift of wisdom yes, but he wrote it under the old Covenent — where man made physical sacrifices to atone for sins. But physical sacrifices were not enough, our sin as man was and is too grevious for that to fix us — to restore our relationship with the living God.
So Solomon’s wisdom was limited by that covenant.
So what now ? Are we limited the same way ? Forever doomed to everything repeating from generation to generation?
No !
For we live after Jesus was born, lived on earth for us, died for us, and rose again to defeat death and sin by His perfect sacrifice. The only perfect sacrifice ever.
He has restored our relationship with the living God. And all we need to do is accept this free gift by repenting of our sins and accepting His sacrifice- accepting Him as our Lord and savior.
Then we finally have something new to be joyous about.
A new heart.
A new future.
A new relationship with the King of Kings and Lord of lords.
Scripture says it clearly to signal the shift from the old to the new, overriding the wisdom given to Solomon above :
“This is what the Lord says — he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.”
Isaiah 43:16–21 NIV
http://bible.com/111/isa.43.16-21.niv
Now hold on — this is Old Testament therefore old covenant right ?
Yes and no.
It’s Old Testament, but it’s one of Isaiah’s prophecy’s about Jesus.
God sending Jesus to us forfilled this, He is the one and only one that could set off the new things.
Ok but does the New Testament confirm it ?
Yes it does :
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”
2 Corinthians 5:17–19 NIV
http://bible.com/111/2co.5.17-19.niv
And
“Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”
Colossians 3:9–10 NIV
http://bible.com/111/col.3.9-10.niv
Only Jesus can change the reality and make all things new.
So what now.
Well I have to enter the whale again.
And trust that this whale will be smaller and succumb to the prayer of the saints much faster.
And trust that the recovery is quicker.
That I can get back to the day to day journey that God has put me on quicker.
That this new valley has a purpose in this amazing plan I can’t see now, but as scripture promises I will see and understand then when I meet Him face to face and will finally know all even as I am fully known.
Trust is the foundation of every relationship, and I as I trust Jesus that tomorrow (Friday) will go better than the last time, that I will live another day on this earth, I trust that you will cast your burdens on Him too, for as Jesus said :
““Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.””
Matthew 11:28–30 NIV
http://bible.com/111/mat.11.28-30.niv
So rest in Him, and God the father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit be with you all. until we meet again.
Matt
