Have you even wondered what Matthias, the disciple that replaced Judas, must have contemplated and felt when he was chosen to become the newest disciple of Christ following His death? I was sitting in church several weeks ago during the sermon where my mind wandered and this thought came into my head (sorry Pastor Matt). A flood of thoughts and questions just came to me out of nowhere.
Matthias’ story is told in Acts 1:15-26. From these verses, we know that he had been with Jesus from the time of Jesus’ baptism to His ascension. He was a known figure to the remaining eleven disciples. In the days after Jesus’ ascension, it was the Apostle Peter who gathered the disciples to nominate two candidates for the job; Barsabas and Matthias. After a prayer for guidance the disciples casted their lots and Matthias was elected to the job of the 13th disciple. I can only begin to imagine what Matthias must have thought and felt about being chosen to this extraordinary place in history. He had no idea how far the gospel of Jesus Christ would carry forward into the future for centuries and the impact it would have on mankind. But I am willing to bet he thought such things as why me, who am I that would be chosen, my life could be in danger for preaching the gospel, this is overwhelming, how can I do this, I can’t do this, this is nuts and I don’t have what it takes to be a disciple of Christ even though I know Jesus Christ personally and how important His message is to the world.
I wonder how many times we find ourselves in a similar situation where we feel overwhelmed by a daunting task or an unimaginable situation just like Matthias? And I am sure that millions could answer yes…I have been there. Life is full of these moments. There are some situations in life though that go beyond the category of bearable and we wonder where God is in all of this and how are we going to get through it. We may be faced with illness, death, financial ruin, a broken marriage and family, unemployment, abandonment, homelessness, natural disasters and fears of a very brutal world in which we live.
These are terrible things to have to endure and we do live in very uncertain times. But we do have one constant in this world and that is the love of God. You may think He is very far away or totally absent when things like this happen. I know for sure that I do. I don’t know how many times I have faced something extremely challenging just to find myself complaining about where God is in all of this. But time after time when I have endured trials, it is always strength that I find when I go to scripture, the Bible, the “handbook of life” that I am reminded that I have the creator of the ENTIRE universe on my side and nothing can change that constant. The best scripture that has always seen me through really tough times is Philippians 4:13. I encourage you to give this verse some thought and what Paul and Timothy were enduring while they gave us these significant words of wisdom. I think that after you do, you will find that God is always there ready to listen and give you guidance. And also think about the courage that Matthias had as he became the substitute disciple. He knew that God was going to be with him no matter what. And He always has……and always will.
Photo: The Quarry by Ky0n Cheng. License CC0. Text added.
Everyday Jesus with Bonnie G 