Mark 13:9-11
I’m
not a real fan of going to court. But I know it is necessary sometimes. It can
seem that so much is out of your control when you sit there next to your lawyer
facing the judge. You can’t talk when you want to talk. There are very strict
rules applied to every aspect of the proceedings. And the judge is in charge.
What they say, goes.
And
that is in the best of times. When persecution starts, or anarchy takes hold,
even the smallest bits of justice and fairness can get thrown to the side. Mobs
drag and carry out what they think is justice, but is more likely to be revenge
or just plain evil. People exercising power of the lives of others when they
can’t exercise power over their own.
Jesus
tells of a day when persecution, religious persecution, will be carried out
against the disciples. It is taking place around the Muslim world today. They
gather Christians and give them the opportunity to convert to Islam. And if
they don’t...! Jesus tells His disciples about their days in court, both civil
and religious courts. They will end up in the highest courts in the land,
testifying before the most powerful people of their day.
But
one thing puzzles me. Jesus tells them not to prepare for these appearances.
Wow, that takes faith. That takes a level of trust that goes beyond praying for
a good grade on a test, or that the weather would be nice for the upcoming
event. Life is in the balance, and Jesus says to trust Him with the words to
speak. Don’t prepare, just read from the Holy Spirit’s teleprompter.
Reading
from a modern day teleprompter is a learned skill, unless you don’t mind
sounding like you are reading from a teleprompter. But it takes practice to get
good at it. Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will tell you what to say in that
moment, live before the cameras. Wow, that is going to take a lot of faith. He
just wants me to stand there and wait for the Holy Spirit to give me words.
Wow.
How
will I know it is the Holy Spirit telling me what to say, and not just my own
mind making up stuff in that moment? Practice! What do you mean, practice?
There are many times when the Holy Spirit wants to lead us, especially in our
witness of the Truth. All those encounters with others that could lead to
opportunities to share are times when we can listen to His voice and practice
following His teleprompter. He will give us a few words at a time. We speak,
and then He advances to the next words. It takes practice.
Life
will hand in the balance. Your life and the eternal destinies of others will
hang on our ability to listen to the Holy Spirit in those moments. So practice
now. Learn to listen now. Learn the Shepherd’s voice. Respond today to His
promptings.