God always has the right people in your life!

Luke 23:44 - 56

God really does care about everything in your life. Whether you know it or not, He has a plan in place to prosper and bless you. Part of that plan is that he has placed people in your life to encourage, strengthen, challenge and love you to the place where you heart longs to be. It is not always easy and sometimes God will even use your enemies to help move you along. If you are serving the Lord, He will do everything to help you become who you are called to be.

In this passage there are two people that are “there” at just the right time. The disciples had followed Jesus for three and one half years; they had given up everything to follow Him. The worst thing they could imagine was now happening, He was being crucified, killed, and so were their dreams with Him. God provided encouragement for them for a very unusual source. A centurion who had taken part in the crucifixion of Jesus said two very important things that should have encouraged the disciples. In this passage Luke records heard him say Jesus was a righteous man. For a Roman officer to say that was a miracle, it would be akin to one of Osama Bin Laden’s chief officers confessing Billy Graham is right. When he called Him righteous it carried the weight of Jesus being “right”. Secondly, Matthew heard him call Jesus, “the son of God” that was a statement that could place him on a cross. Blasphemy against the emperor! God was using a Roman centurion to speak words of encouragement to those who were suffering around him. What often happens is that we can get so caught up in our “stuff” and the enemy gets our eyes on our problems that the encouragement the Lord sends can go right over our heads. The Holy Spirit is “the encourager” when you are suffering, when you are going through your “valley” experience, the Lord is with you. Look for the encouragement.

God will always send practical help too when we need it, we need to be looking for it as well. Mary, Jesus’ mother was a widow, the disciples were all in fear of the same fate Jesus had just suffered. Where would they get the money to bury Jesus? Who would have the favor to make this all happen when it seemed all of those in power where against this band of disciples, God had the right person, Joseph, there to be a blessing and meet the very practical need of burying Jesus.

We spend so much time worrying about so many things. Jesus said to seek Him first and He would take can of the rest (Matthew 6:33). Whatever you may face today, the Lord already has the resources and people in place to meet that need. God is a loving caring Father who believes in you more than you believe in yourself and He wants to get you to where you want and are called to be. It’s all a matter of trust!