08.07.2021
Is Jesus sending out his disciples in a state of unpreparedness? The usual resources that people would take with them for a long and demanding journey are being denied to them. From a human point of view, Jesus sending out his disciples almost devoid of the usual resources seems absurd. We can rightly assume that the emphasis on this state of vulnerability is a lesson for the disciples not to be over-reliant on their own human resources, but to rely on the Lord to provide for them. We must plan for every eventuality. Yet, when it comes to the work of the Lord in our time, we need to have a light hold on all our many resources and to allow room for the Lord himself to work. We can be so absorbed in the work of the Lord that we can side-line the Lord of the work. If we excessively provide for ourselves, including our work in the Lord’s service, we can forget that the Lord is the ultimate provider. Poverty of resources can sometimes allow the Lord to work more powerfully than he could if we had every eventuality covered in advance. The Lord is always inviting us to step out of the boat, trusting that he will not let us sink. As Saint Paul reminds us, the Lord’s power is often made perfect in weakness.
✍️CB