Are We Just Pawns?

¹ Let all that I am praise the Lord;
with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
² Let all that I am praise the Lord;
may I never forget the good things he does for me.
³ He forgives all my sins
and heals all my diseases.
⁴  He  redeems  me  from  death
and crowns me with love and tender mercies.
⁵ He fills my life with good things.
My youth is renewed like the eagle’s! Psalm 103:1-5

Mark 14:1-2 (<<click to read the passage)

How many times throughout our lives do we feel that we are just pawns in some imbalanced game of chess? Somewhere along the line we have had others who have raised themselves up on pedestals making it very clear that we were under them.

Back in junior high school, we had a gym teacher who had that kind of personality. He was shorter in stature than the average man and he overcompensated by being very muscular and by putting all us peons in our place. He would regularly have us do leg lifts – we would lay on our backs and from the hips raise our legs up, 6 or 7 inches off the gym floor. He would then proceed to walk around the room and randomly stand on our stomachs! We were under him and he wanted to make sure we knew it!

In today’s passage, the religious leaders of Jesus had reached their limit of what they were going to take – they were done being exposed for the petty, selfish individuals they really were and they were going to eliminate this troublesome, young know-it-all rabbi once and for all – even if it meant having Him killed!

But…and I love this quote from my study Bible* notes! – “But the world is controlled by our all-wise God, not puny politicians” (or gym teachers or bosses or…you fill in the blank!)

The notes go on to say, “God would turn the religious leaders’ murder plot into the greatest blessing that mankind would ever know. Another Lamb would be slain, and his blood would save all people.”

In this life, we may never be more than just a pawn in some imbalanced game of chess but we must never forget that as believers in Jesus, our lives are in God’s hands. And regardless of whoever thinks they have power; God is ultimately in charge and we can get through anything for He is our Savior and Friend. Amen!

July 18^th, 2019, Thurs, 9:03 pm

*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation