The Holy Apostle Aquila
1 Corinthians 10:12-22; Matthew 16:20-24
Read Matthew 16:20-24
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9).
We are so often very much like Peter. We recognize Jesus as the Messiah. We worship Him as our King and God. And then, like Peter, we tell the Lord that we have a better plan, a plan that will avert any suffering because, well, we have a natural aversion to suffering. We forget ourselves. We do not try to perceive the Lord’s reasoning, we stop spiritual discernment, and revert to our own way of thinking. Peter, who was just called “Rock” in the previous verses of Matthew’s Gospel is called an obstacle, a stumbling block, a small stone on which to trip. The Lord tells him, “Get behind me, Satan!” recalling that Satan himself tempted the Lord with world dominion without suffering.
The wonderful thing about Peter, and he teaches us a good lesson here, is that when he was told this by the Lord, he got on board with the Lord’s plan. Could he conceive of the Lord’s plan fully? Probably not. But he submitted himself to the Lord’s plan BECAUSE it is the Lord’s plan. Peter had to trust in the Lord and had to do so every step of the way.
When we find ourselves in some sort of suffering, then, whatever that suffering may be, whether small or large, we need to first and foremost turn to the Lord. we need to submit ourselves to Him: Whatever the plan, Lord, I will follow. I may not understand but I will follow. Why? Because the Lord’s thoughts are not my thoughts, and the Lord’s ways are not my ways… His ways are higher than whatever I could conceive and plan, and His thoughts more than mine.