"Beyond Belief"

"Thou hast shown Thy people hard things: Thou hast made us drink the wine of astonishment." (Psalms 60:3) Yesterday I was reminded of something I had heard before, but had not grabbed me like it did yesterday; it was a saying, "You may never know that Jesus is all you need, until Jesus is all you have" (Corrie ten Boom). As I thought about that, I imagined what it must be like to experience that kind of traumatic trial where you have nothing left to hold onto; we are talking about something so devastating, that it is all swept away, and there is nothing; no money, no family, no strength to carry on; it was really not that hard to imagine it, but it sure was hard to think about. The world will try and tell you that you control your own destiny, making you believe that what God wants for your life really does not matter; but God takes us through whatever we need to go through, just so we will see His point of view on the things that really matter. If you stop long enough to listen, God really does want us to be astonished by His love for us; so much so, that it literally rocks our world 'beyond belief'!!! Some mornings I just sit here and shake, barely able to see what I am typing, and broken by the love I so easily trample upon. No wonder the angels in heaven are so astonished at God's grace for us: they see what we do, yet they still see that He loves us! Think about this "wine of astonishment" and what that might represent, seeing how wine is made by the crushing of grapes; it takes us to a whole new understanding of what "hard things" might represent, and how little many of us have actually tasted it for ourselves: talk about astonishment...
"They went to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus said, "Sit here while I go and pray." He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He became deeply troubled and distressed. He told them, "My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." He went a little further and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting Him might pass Him by. "Abba, Father," He cried out, "everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine." (Mark 14:32-36)