Today, I was reminded that I have a blog. Yep, I know, it’s been a while since I have written. It was good to get reaquainted with my blogspace.
It’s Sunday. This morning, in between sound check for the worship service and the actual service, I led a discussion among some of the worship team members. We sat around and talked about a passage from the book of St. John in the Bible.
We talked about the story in which Jesus had just fed over 5,000 people with just a couple fish and a few loaves of bread. Jesus headed up into the mountains to pray and the disciples headed across a huge lake (more like a small ocean) in a boat…oh, and it was at night.
The story is that a storm blew up, and the waves became turbulent and the disciples were pulling hard on the oars, trying to keep the boat going the right direction, and I’m sure they were trying to avoid turning over.
In the middle of the turbulent darkness, they see someone out walking on the water and getting closer to where they are.
The Bible says, “…they were terrified.” Yeah, I’d think so.
So, we talked this morning about the “terrifying” situations in our lives….past or present.
For me, this story is pretty easy to transmit to our lives today. It’s a practical application all ready to be picked up and applied. The disciples were in a REAL LIFE difficult situation. It was the middle of the night. They were out on a huge lake. The wind was blowing hard. Waves were building and crashing into their little boat. Then, on top of this, they see something that they couldn’t have even imagined - a fugre in the distance walking TOWARD them on the water. “Terrified” is a pretty good description.
I re-read an earlier blog about the place fear has held in my life at times. I said something like, “It’s usually when the fear is kept at a distance that it seems to have the most power in my life.” I think the same thing applies in this story. Jesus was at a distance, and they didn’t know it was him. They were terrified.
The question was asked this morning, “Have you ever been terrified, or scared, by Jesus?” It’s hard to imagine Jesus, God, puposely planning to “scare” someone. I guess if anyone could do it, He could.
I mean, come on, he HAD to know when first set foot on the edge of that lake, headed out toward his followers that they weren’t going to take it very well…at least not at first. I can’t imagine that He did it just for chuckles. (Although, really, I CAN see Him in my mind laughing slightly at the thought of their first sighting of him.)
But, He had to have had something bigger in mind. I think part of it may have been this: no matter how dark and stormy and scary the experience of life, He is still more powerful, and He is still in control; and most of all, He still has things “up his sleeve” that are SO WAY PAST our understanding and ability to even imagine.
I think that sometimes He either allows or He engineers (not sure yet which I believe) the storms in our lives just so he can show up in them….if we are watching for Him and if we are willing to let Him get into our boat with us.
When I have encountered storms in my life, sadly, it hasn’t always been my first reaction to look for Jesus in the storm. Usually, I’m looking up and asking “WHY?” or “God where are You?”
I forget to consider that perhaps He is actually IN the storm, coming near me, THROUGH this storm. I wonder if the water was actually calm when He first stepped out onto it. I wonder if the water couldn’t take it and couldn’t help but churn out white waves of praise for their Maker.
I’m not sure where I’m heading with this. I do know this, however: the circumstances of our lives are NOT outside the realm of Christ’s control and power. He is the Creator, and He comes to us always – and ESPECIALLY in the times when the world is turning upside down in an ocean of darkness.
He comes, and if we are looking and listening, we hear Him….speaking to US….saying, “It is me, don’t be afraid. relax….I’m coming to you.”
God, help me to keep my spritual eyes peering steadily…searching for You in everything…calm and storm. The writer of Psalm 139 said, “The light and the dark are the same to You.” He sees it all.
The storms will come. I know this. But, even so, He is with us…even when we are straining at life and fearing for our lives…He is with us.
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