Have you ever found yourself disappointed with the way the Lord is doing things in the world or in your life? I know I have.

This morning when I was spending time with the Lord I was struck by the reminder that Jesus came with an answer to the world, but that answer didn’t look like how they thought it would and so most rejected it.

What must have come to mind when they thought of the conquering king who would restore things to their rightful place? A man of strength, a King who would crush their enemies and bring the justice they had been waiting for. I have to assume it was far from different to this humble man walking around healing people who looked so average and normal.

It made me burst into tears because we are the exact same.

We are looking for things to be made right and we shout our demands at leaders who “have the power and voices” to make things right and find ourselves wondering what big and powerful and mighty thing or person is going to make this better and why they aren’t doing it faster?

As I imagined what I might have wanted the King to come in and do and be like, I imagined a domineering leader, capturing the bad and getting rid of them entirely. I would cheer along because, if anyone loves justice, it’s me!

But my next thought was that maybe the Lord didn’t come like this, amongst many possibilities, because He knows real change happens not in sweeping movements of power but in each individual heart.

Let’s be honest, this didn’t appease their desire to see things set right, this was, if anything, a disappointment.

Jesus came in weak and went out weak.

In a world clamouring for strength and power, what this does to mess with us is often soul-crushing.

Love when we don’t want to.
Serving when we want to be noticed.
Being faithful in the small ways
Being willing to be misunderstood in our faithfulness
Obeying God and not the demands of the world

If this Kingdom of God that we serve in is anything, it’s backwards. We know that logically or intellectually but are quite offended by it when it means things are going to go the way God designs them and not how we do.

The way of Jesus was one of pain and suffering…

It was one of small moments and conversations, it was one of surrendering again and again not to His will but to God’s.

What does this look like in my life, in yours?

Maybe the big things we see that need to be changed hang on the obedience of our moments. Maybe it looks like laying down our rights as Christ did, and loving people who don’t deserve it. Perhaps it’s letting our egos not only be checked but crushed and the only thing that remains is the Gospel and our awareness of our needs?

Lord, we want your way, even if it doesn’t make sense to us. As we face personal disappointments and greater societal problems, show us how we can lay down our expectations and embrace your ways. You are God and we are not. This is not my kingdom, I am not the king.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen