Short Time

If you knew your time on this earth was short, very short, as in two days, what would you do?  As we mark Wednesday of Holy Week, we are aware as Jesus must have  been aware that His time was short.  When He came into Jerusalem on Sunday, He knew He was living on short time.  On Wednesday He knew it was even shorter.  Two days.  By Wednesday the reality of the cross was surely looming large in the eyes of this One sent from God.  He was nearing the end of this earthly journey that had started out only a few years earlier in Bethlehem.

 

What He did on this Wednesday was to draw away from all the turmoil which was swirling around Him.  He did not even go into Jerusalem as He had for the last three days.  He intentionally avoided the conflict.  Tradition tells us that He spent the day quietly out of the city and away from the dark storm which was gathering.  With the toughest of times ahead, He sought the presence of the Father who had sent Him.  It would be from Him that He would receive any final confirmation needed to send Him forward with confidence.  If going to the cross represented the Father's bidding, and He knew such was true, then He would go with certainty that all would be well.

 

Tough times are going to come to all of us.  The toughest of times will come to all of us.  It is inevitable.  And while living right each day means that we are preparing all along for those times, there is wisdom in drawing apart for time in the presence of the Father God when we can see the storm clouds gathering before us.  There are some things we cannot endure alone.  Such is how we were created.  But, we were also created to be accompanied by the Holy Spirit who has the promise of the Father that we shall get through the darkness.