Hoping but Not Receiving

One of the reasons we don't receive God's power in our lives is that we are looking for the wrong kind.

The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.  Luke 24:20-21a

This statement comes from the conversation between Jesus and the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (read it in its entirety here).  People often overlook this part of the conversation in a rush to focus on other aspects of the story like "the good part" where Jesus reveals His identity and everyone gets all excited.  However, we do the story a disservice by neglecting the hoping part because therein lies the reason for the "downcast" faces, and, in a way, the reason they were so excited after the reveal.  They misunderstood the reality of Jesus' mission, but why?

These disciples, along with most of the Jewish people at that time, which, sadly, included the twelve, thought that the Messiah was to come and deliver the nation of Israel from Roman bondage so that they could have the easy life like back in the good old days of David and Solomon.  Despite Jesus' many statements regarding the true nature of "the kingdom of heaven", and His refusal to be crowned as an earthly king, they couldn't rid themselves of the idea that He "was going to redeem Israel", and set up an earthly kingdom.  Sadly, that concept, and ones similar to it, still hold sway among many of the current professed followers of Christ.

One modern departure from Jesus' true mission on earth exists in "prosperity theology" which promotes the belief  that all one needs to do to receive anything is "name it and claim it".  Adherents to this belief system use texts from the Bible as a means to receive anything from good health to a new house.  Interesting thoughts coming from professed followers of one who was essentially homeless, and spoke of riches as a hindrance to entering God's kingdom after telling a rich man to sell all of his possessions.

A more subtle, and therefore more dangerous, variation on this theme also exists.  That being the concept that the life of a Christian should be for the most part, free from problems and sacrifice.  This view continues despite statements from Jesus to the contrary like the one found in Luke 9:23-24 which states that His true followers "must take up their cross daily."  Apparently many of his followers today suffer from the same tendency towards selective hearing as did His disciples back then.  I say this because prior to making that statement, He told His disciples, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." (v. 22)  It doesn't get much plainer than that, yet not long after hearing that statement, we find the two disciples walking to Emmaus all downcast and such, saying "The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped . . ."

In short, we don't receive God power in our lives because we look for His power to eliminate our problems (something He never said He would do) instead of to help us through them (something He often said He would do).

So if you start sensing the lack of God's power in your life, you should stop and ask yourself, "Am I looking for the right kind?"