Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” “What is truth?” retorted Pilate (John 18:37-38).
Our Father in heaven, You are Sovereign over all. Whatever happens in the human realm, Your plans prevail, Your purpose stands: The Lord Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen (Isaiah 14:24).
The Lord Jesus was clear about His journey to the cross, "I lay down My life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again" (John 10:17-18). He was equally clear to Pilate about the limits of that governor's authority:
“Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free You or to crucify You?” Jesus answered, “You would have no power over Me if it were not given to you from above” (John 19:10-11).
But Pilate, when the moment of truth arose, chose of his own free will, the path of least resistance instead of the path of integrity. Even as he wrestled with conscience and conviction, he gave in to ambition, and political gain, and corruption. In the ultimate example of irony, he challenged the concept of truth, blindly ignoring the Truth before him, and embracing the false "pillars" of this world.
Father, You know our hearts! You know the situations we face in our personal lives, our professional lives, our family situations, our social lives, our civic lives, and even in ministry. You know how easy it may be to cave under pressure, how difficult it may be to walk the lonely road of moral courage. Strengthen and empower us. Keep us from compromise. Help us, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to make sound decisions in unclear situations.
Lord, give us the courage to choose truth, even when it is difficult. Help us to be willing to let the values of Your kingdom take precedence over the personal, social, and political objectives of this world so that we do not become trapped in them as Pilate was.
Remind us, Lord, that Your purpose will stand. Help us to pray sincerely for Your kingdom to come; and to focus on building Your kingdom. Give us a willingness to replace our rehearsed scripts, our uncontested ideas, our unproven opinions, and our unchecked biases with a diligent search for the truth from Your word. And with a desire to love others with the love of Christ.
Keep us from blind cynicism, cowardly excuses, weak justifications. Help us not to hide behind smokescreens and empty arguments. Remind us that no amount of water can wash away our accountability to truth, justice and integrity. Teach us to listen closely, and to clearly hear the voice of Jesus, helping us to stand firmly on the side of truth.
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