This reminds me of the Jews of the 1st century. They were anxiously awaiting a Messiah, a military leader to rescue them from Roman rule. They even celebrated Hanukkah in remembrance of not only the Menorah oil that lasted eight days, but also for what Judas Maccabeus had done in recapturing the temple (which was a military conquering).
This Military-ruler Messiah mindset is very prevalent to the Jewish people. We see this in John Chapter 10 at Hanukkah when Jesus is at the Temple. The Jewish people ask, "How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly." So Jesus replies, "I have already told you, and you don’t believe me." He goes on to talk about his "sheep" and his father's name and eternal life and the Jews are left standing there with their mouths open.
Can you imagine the shock this must have caused? Suddenly, the Jews found that the guy they thought was probably their Messiah likes to talk about sheep. Verse 31 even says that the people picked up stones to kill him. What had happened to the idea of a military Messiah?
Life isn't always going to work out. Life is rarely, if ever, going to work out the way you've planned. I'm such a planner, that this realization really hurt. But see, God has better plans for me than I planned myself. I need to make the effort to trust him and depend on him and seek him above all else.
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