"Besides Opposition"

"For mine enemies speak against me; and they that wait for my soul take counsel together, saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him." (Psalms 71:10-11) I am pretty sure it was delightful to the enemies of God to watch Jesus be put to death, but their delight was short lived. If ever there is something for us to look towards for encouragement, no matter how discouraged our situation might present itself, then the cross of Christ is a pretty good one to focus upon. Think about what must have been going on in the minds of those who were witnessing that display of humiliation and destruction; not just those that were friends and family of Jesus, but those that were His enemies: knowing who He actually was, and then witnessing the torture that He was enduring at the hands of mankind. I'm sorry, but there seems to be something I see in the picture that makes me think those in the know were not all that happy about what was going on that day. All of the sudden, that expression on Jack Nicholson's face in "How Do You Know" comes to mind; the one where he is happy for a second for his son's true love, till he realizes that it means he is going to prison. That is how it must have been for them, as they were delighted to see the Lord being humiliated and destroyed, till they realized who He really was; then it dawned on them, "This is not over!" Oh, I'm sorry; didn't you know what the Scriptures say? Haven't you heard? What makes anything that has been created think that they can destroy the Creator? Global Warming comes to my mind; not that I am a Doubter or a Denier; it's just that it is not possible for mankind to do something that God does not allow. If we are facing some kind of catastrophic change in the climate, it's all part of God's plan; besides that, you stop for a moment and think about the position of the sun: Who do you think keeps that big ball of gas from getting any closer than it is? Wait just a moment! What orbits around what? It's a little scary when you think about the earth's Orbital Eccentricity...
"To whom will you compare Me? Who is My equal?" asks the Holy One. Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by it's name. Because of His great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing. O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles? O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights? Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of His understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:25-31) NLT