Are You In Position?
Luke 19 tells a story of a man named Zacchaeus (let’s call him Zak for short) who was a very short yet very rich tax collector. He heard Jesus was coming through his city and he wanted to see him but because he was so short there was no real way he could do so because of the gathering crowd (think like it’s back when you were 7 years old and were trying to see the town parade pass through but you were in the back of all the adults, you got to hear the noise but couldn’t see what was going on). So the Bible goes on to say in verse 4-8 (which is where I want to concentrate today’s entry on) that Zak ran ahead of the crowd found a tree and got up in it and waited for Jesus to pass. In verse 5 the most telling statement takes places. It reads “And when Jesus came to the place…”
“The Place” the bible is referring to is a place of destiny and purpose. It was in that place that you see as you read through the rest of the chapter that Zak was blessed by Jesus (especially if you understand all that goes into him saying “this day salvation has come to this house” which may be a whole other entry). The thing is he would have missed that blessing if he wasn’t in the right place at the right time waiting with expectation. You see I’ve heard so many people say 2012 is their year that it makes me sick. The reason it makes me sick is because some of these are the same people who said 2011 was their year, and 2010, and 2009, and 2008, and on and on and on. They say it’s their year but never realize the “their year” part. The question is why?
Here’s the answer and I’ll try to be as short as possible. The answer is because they are not in position. Look closely at what Zak did in verse 4. He knew blessing in the person of Jesus was coming so he made sure to get himself in a position to receive it. What’s interesting is the bible doesn’t show how far ahead Zak ran, it doesn’t say how long he waited in that tree, it just simply says he got up in the tree. So that when Jesus came to “the place” Zak was already there ready and waiting. He had room for Jesus to stay at his home and even as you read verse 8 Zak tells of how he prepared himself to receive what Jesus had for him even amongst his haters (verse 7) hating on him and Jesus. He let no obstacle nor anyone’s words stop him from getting the blessing. But just as importantly is he was in position to receive it. Had he been in some other tree or somewhere else he would have missed his opportunity, had he not prepared himself (and his home) he would have been in the right place but unprepared. Let me give a quick practical example as I close. My wife and I could have completely missed each other had she gone through with preparing to move out of Columbus as she first wanted to. But Columbus was the designated city (our the place) for us to meet. Had she been back in Chicago or moved to Atlanta like she wanted or had I gone to Texas like I planned we would have never met and thereby missed the blessing God had for us. Not only did we have to be in this place we had to make ourselves open to receive the blessing. Both she and I had been through a lot in relationships which would have made it really difficult to receive each other cept we empty our past and allow God to work in, with, and through us. See it’s all about being in position. So no matter what it is you are looking for or to do this year. Make this year your year but be prepared and be in position that way this year you can receive the blessing that comes only at your “the place.” I hope this has been a help to someone out there. For any comments, questions, or anything feel free to email me at jesse.jones@highpraiseministries.com. Grow in God’s grace and abide in His Love!
Sincerely,
Jesse C. Jones
