Our Lady of Fatima
I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. (John 16:12)
Have you ever gone on a scavenger hunt? It’s a treasure-hunt game where you get clues that tell you where to go next. As you solve each clue and arrive at the destination, you receive another clue for the next step and slowly get closer to your prize. Of course, everyone is competing to find the prize, but the journey is the most fun. People love figuring out the clues along the way!
God made us for the journey. He created us so that we would develop an ongoing relationship with him, learn how to listen to the Holy Spirit, and move closer to our “treasure.” We don’t need to know all the steps ahead of time. That’s why Jesus said he had more to say to the disciples but couldn’t tell them all at once. He wasn’t holding back from them. He was giving them the opportunity to learn how to listen to the Holy Spirit, who was coming to live in them.
Imagine what would happen if a husband and wife knew on their wedding day how life would turn out for themselves and their children and grandchildren. The weight of that knowledge would derail the natural growth of love between them. They would be deprived of the process of deepening their love for each other, coming to know each other better, and hashing out important decisions together. No, God designed marriage—and every relationship, for that matter—so that it would grow one step at a time.
The same holds true for our relationship with God. We don’t always know where our road to holiness will lead us, but our final destiny becomes clearer with each step we take.
So trust God enough today to take just the one step that lies before you. Ask him what he wants from you just today. Don’t worry about trying to peer too far down the road. Day by day, step by step, he will tell you what you need to hear. Over time, your relationship with him will deepen and become more fruitful.
“Lord Jesus, I don’t need to know it all right now. I want to grow in love for you and grow in confidence as I follow your voice.” Amen!
Acts 17:15 Sha’ul’s escort went with him as far as Athens, then left with instructions for Sila and Timothy to come as quickly as they could.
22:1 “Brothers and fathers! Listen to me as I make my defense before you now!” 2 When they heard him speaking to them in Hebrew, they settled down more; so he continued: 3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city and trained at the feet of Gamli’el in every detail of the Torah of our forefathers. I was a zealot for God, as all of you are today. 4 I persecuted to death the followers of this Way, arresting both men and women and throwing them in prison. 5 The cohen hagadol and the whole Sanhedrin can also testify to this. Indeed, after receiving letters from them to their colleagues in Dammesek, I was on my way there in order to arrest the ones in that city too and bring them back to Yerushalayim for punishment.
6 “As I was traveling and approaching Dammesek, around noon, suddenly a brilliant light from heaven flashed all around me! 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Sha’ul! Sha’ul! Why do you keep persecuting me?’ 8 I answered, ‘Sir, who are you?’ ‘I am Yeshua from Natzeret,’ he said to me, ‘and you are persecuting me!’ 9 Those who were with me did see the light, but they didn’t hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 10 I said ‘What should I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Get up, and go into Dammesek, and there you will be told about everything that has been laid out for you to do.’ 11 I had been blinded by the brightness of the light, so my companions led me by the hand into Dammesek.
12 “A man named Hananyah, an observant follower of the Torah who was highly regarded by the entire Jewish community there, 13 came to me, stood by me and said, ‘Brother Sha’ul, see again!’ And at that very moment, I recovered my sight and saw him. 14 He said, ‘The God of our fathers[a] determined in advance that you should know his will, see the Tzaddik and hear his voice; 15 because you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. 16 So now, what are you waiting for? Get up, immerse yourself and have your sins washed away as you call on his name.’
17 “After I had returned to Yerushalayim, it happened that as I was praying in the Temple, I went into a trance, 18 and I saw Yeshua. ‘Hurry!’ he said to me, ‘Get out of Yerushalayim immediately, because they will not accept what you have to say about me.’ 19 I said, ‘Lord, they know themselves that in every synagogue I used to imprison and flog those who trusted in you; 20 also that when the blood of your witness Stephen was being shed, I was standing there too, in full agreement; I was even looking after the clothes of the ones who were killing him!’ 21 But he said, ‘Get going! For I am going to send you far away — to the Goyim!’”
22 They had been listening to him up to this point; but now they shouted at the top of their lungs, “Rid the earth of such a man! He’s not fit to live!” 23 They were screaming, waving their clothes and throwing dust into the air; 24 so the commander ordered him brought into the barracks and directed that he be interrogated and whipped, in order to find out why they were yelling at him like this.
25 But as they were stretching him out with thongs to be flogged, Sha’ul said to the captain standing by, “Is it legal for you to whip a man who is a Roman citizen and hasn’t even had a trial?” 26 When the captain heard that, he went and reported it to the commander, “Do you realize what you’re doing? This man is a Roman citizen!” 27 The commander came and said to Sha’ul, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” “Yes,” he said. 28 The commander replied, “I bought this citizenship for a sizeable sum of money.” “But I was born to it,” Sha’ul said. 29 At once the men who had been about to interrogate him drew back from him; and the commander was afraid too, because he realized that he had put this man who was a Roman citizen in chains.
30 However, the next day, since he wanted to know the specific charge the Judeans were bringing against him, he released him and ordered the head cohanim and the whole Sanhedrin to meet. Then he brought Sha’ul down and put him in front of them.[Footnotes:
Acts 22:14 Exodus 3:15]
Psalm 148:1 Halleluyah!
Praise Adonai from the heavens!
Praise him in the heights!
2 Praise him, all his angels!
Praise him, all his armies!
11 kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers on earth,
12 young men and women alike,
old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of Adonai,
for his name alone is exalted;
his glory is above both earth and heaven.
14 He has increased the power of his people,
granted praise to all his faithful,
to the descendants of Isra’el,
a people close to him.
Halleluyah!
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