We’re not the first or the only believers to ‘drink from a fire hose’

By Dean Collins

When you are drinking from a firehose it is hard to appreciate that you have been blessed. I have never really tried drinking from a fire hose. The metaphor is of course that so much is coming at you that you can’t possibly take it in. Students sometimes suggest there is simply too much information in the course or courses they are taking at one time to comprehend. Those of us who are past college age know that the drinking from a fire hose gets more intense after the college days are over.

I am in another drinking-from-a-fire-hose season. I find my days are filled with both overwhelming amounts of opportunity and difficulty at the same time. The number of decisions that must be made and deadlines that must be kept fill my brain and my schedule to the brim. When you are extremely busy it is easy to miss that you might very well be living in the middle of the best adventure of your life. When you are drinking from the firehose, there is little time to process what is actually happening.

Amazement and opportunity

When you read any or all of the four Gospels, you quickly see that the disciples were having their own trouble keeping up with all the amazing things they were seeing and experiencing as they traveled with Jesus. There must have been some slow days in the life of the disciples, but we don’t know much about those days. The Gospel writers go from miracle to miracle and synagogue to synagogue rather quickly. There is both constant amazement and constant opposition everywhere Jesus traveled.

In Luke 9:51 we see what appears to be an inflection point in the ministry of Jesus. Once Jesus “set his face toward Jerusalem,” things seemed to escalate. Because we know the whole story, we can see his focus on preparing the disciples for the fulfillment of his mission. As we read we know what the disciples were yet to see; redemption and restoration would come only by way of the cross of Calvary.

In the middle of his mission

Toward the end of Luke 10, Jesus turned to his disciples and said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” All through the grand narrative of Scripture, the prophets told of a time when a Messiah would come to make all things right and good. Like us they often translated that to mean that life would be better, the government would be better, finances would be better, and more. But on this day, Jesus attempted to give his disciples insight. He wanted them to understand what a privilege they were experiencing to see this moment, the moment when the Savior of the world was in the middle of his mission to redeem and restore all things.

These followers would all come to understand what they witnessed, but it would be well past the resurrection before it would sink in how blessed they were to have walked with Jesus. There would be a few more fire hoses to drink from before it all settled into their hearts and minds.

Stop and remember

You may be reading this on Thursday of Holy Week. During Holy Week the disciples would have another rush of experiences they would not be able to comprehend until much later. The upper room, the last supper, the conversations on the way to the Garden of Gethsemane, the betrayal and arrest of Jesus, and the suffering that would begin all happened on this day. Fear and uncertainty filled the hearts and minds of the disciples. They would get through it, but not easily. The next few days would heighten their anxiety and make them question their choices and their purpose in following Jesus.

I don’t know if you are drinking from a fire-hose today. Like me, you might be experiencing a life with far too much stress. Your stress may come from so many good things you’re experiencing or because of great difficulty. Regardless of our current circumstances, it is important to stop and remember what Jesus did for us during this week some 2,000 years ago. The agony of the last two days in the life of Jesus in the flesh changed everything for us, for the world, and for all time. Jesus drank not simply a cup of suffering but a full fire-hose level of suffering for all of humanity.

Lord, in this moment we choose to slow down and even stop from our rushing that we might consider what your suffering meant for us. Thank you for enduring the pain and agony of our sins. Thank you for paying a price we could never pay. Forgive us for our tendency to rush past what your suffering and death really mean. Help us understand that even in our current challenges you are with us and we are experiencing blessing after blessing because of your sacrifice on our behalf. We surrender our lives to you. Use us for your glory and for your purposes. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Your time with God’s Word
‭‭Luke‬ ‭10‬:‭22‬-‭24‬ ‭ESV

Photo by Gratisography at pexels.com

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