Mathew 8:24 - 26 - Jesus slept through the great storm battering this small Great Sea of Galilee. He was right there present in the boat with them but not responding as the followers had hoped. So, the disciples woke Him, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing." And He said to them, "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?" Reminds me of the story, Hinds Feet on High Places. Reminds me of me. Little Miss Much Afraid in the boat with the very Presence of God. But, no more. Jesus is changing me and you; He is casting out fear. It's why He showed up in the Book of Matthew---to change us. His followers were riddled with fear and ambition. But, wait. The Book of Acts is coming.
What kind of man is this? They row to shore and he performs yet another miracle. And verse 34 baffles me: "All the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region." He wasn't welcomed. I guess, they didn't want to be disrupted. Don't touch anyone's sick mother. Don't save us from a fierce storm at sea. Don't cast out demons! Unbelievable!
And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him,(T) they begged him to leave their region.
ReplyDeleteI think what is wrong with these people and then think oh...wait I am these people, if I have an area of my life which is not yielded to Christ because in essence I am asking Him to leave that region.
26And he said to them, "Why are you(H) afraid,(I) O you of little faith?" Then he rose and(J) rebuked the winds and the sea, and(K) there was a great calm.
ReplyDeleteWhy am I so afraid? There it is "O you of little faith." All I can say today is LORD forgive my unbelief that you can do the impossible in my life. I praise Elohim for loving me Just As I Am today.
This is a Song I must Sing, Sylvia
"And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep."
ReplyDeleteHe was sound asleep during a storm? I would love to sleep so soundly in the midst of a storm. :)
"And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing." And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?"
ReplyDeleteThis past year, I memorized a small verse that had a huge impact on me, Psalm 3:5, "I lay down and slept, I awoke for the Lord sustains me." As I was going through my own "storm" and would come to the end of the day with the waves still crashing, I did in fact experience the Lord's sustaining hand and would be able to sleep very well despite my current cirmcumstances. I experienced Proverbs 3:24, "When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet."
I know this to be true because I've tasted and experienced that it is possible to rest in the love and sustaining power of the Lord Jesus. I now say this verse as I am getting ready for bed each night knowing that each day does have enough trouble of its own!
I think the absolute power of Christ is what scared the townspeople. Pure authority over evil. When I look into my heart, I know there is a capacity for good and evil. It is scary and wonderful to realize He knows our intermost being, and perhaps the townspeople were afraid of Him changing them and they were afraid to look deep into their hearts. Change is terrifying and exciting at the same time. Change is often painful.
ReplyDeleteI just finished Mary Beth Chapman's book, "Choosing to See."
I can't imagine anything more painful than losing a child and having another child involved in her death. Going from the depths of despair to inner peace and hope of being reunited in heaven.
Christ is at work in our lives, bringing about change. We live in an imperfect world, someday we will reach heaven and wil bask in the glow of the Son, we will be changed, we will understand perfect love.
Precious String of Pearls you each bless me so with your comments. I am about to finish reading The Heavenly Man, True Story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun and was so impressed to share with you from page 297
ReplyDelete"You can never really know the Scriptures until you're willing to be changed by them."
When God truly moves in your heart you cannot remain silent. There will be a fire in your bones, like Jeremiah, who said, "His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shutup in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot." Jeremiah 20:9
It is only when we step out in obedience and share the gospel with people that we come to know God's blessing in every area of our lives. Paul wrote to Philemon, "I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ." Philemon v.6.
Each Pearl who comments on this blog blesses and encourages me to be more obedient in my walk with the LORD.
HurstMom thanks for sharing your scripture on sleep. Ang and I are not the only ones who can take your scriptures and claim them for better rest. Thank you.
Jan, I'm thrilled you got to read Mary Beth Chapman's book Choosing to See. Both Bro Yun book as well as Mary Beth Chapman book is loaded with scripture as they live out their life experiences to share.
Abba's Girl thank you for expressing my own thoughts today.
Bev, praying for you and your precious family for God to continue to show up marvelous and mighty ways that others will know Jesus is LORD.
This is a Song I must Sing. Sylvia
Just a few words of Scripture and yet each of your hearts is touched in unique and inspiring ways. God is so good to personalize His Word to speak to us right where we are. Thanks for all your words today. Each comment was like turning and looking at a new facet of His complex and wondrous nature and our own place in His Story.
ReplyDeleteI'm struck like Isaiah when confronted with Jesus face to Face. "Woe is me. I am a man of unclean lips." There is no way to look at Jesus without seeing our wretchedness. Maybe that's why they asked him, no, begged him to leave. So scary to see how far we fall. "Hinds Feet" is one of my favorite books that tells such a parable for our story, our predicament.
I sit back amazed this afternoon--
"What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?" He is some kind of wonderful.
What grabbed me in today's reading was the cost of following Jesus. I have not paid very high a price IF any to follow Him. IF I have it has not been noticeable to me. I often wonder IF I would have been one that would have given everything up to follow Him and serve Him, or would I have joined the majority and held back and stayed in my comfort zone. I am asking myself am I doing that now? Am I fully surrendered? I know that I march to a different drummer than most of society,but am I TOTALLY different. Great food for thought on this cold, cold winter day.
ReplyDeleteMy tears fall freely as I read your comments! My gratitude to each of you for 2 Cor 3:18 - you are being transformed. Your longing for Him is so warmly inviting to me this bitter cold day.
ReplyDeleteSeveral of you know Joanne Heim (The Simple Wife blog) She needs our prayers for healing. She was jogging this morning and had a bloodclot go to her brain. She's only 38 years old. They operated and she is responsive, last report. The next 48 hours are critical for her so please remember her in your prayers and her husband Toben, and her two young daughters. Love you guys.
ReplyDeleteTo check on how Joanne is doing you can go to her facebook page where her sister has updated a couple of times at http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=883795720
ReplyDeleteThanks Annette for the update on Joanne. We are on our knees over here this night for our friend!
ReplyDeletePraying for her, too. I had the pleasure of meeting her and joining in prayer with her, Holly, and GranJan at the SiestaFiesta in San Antonio a few years ago. She is a beautiful and passionate woman-of-faith.
ReplyDeleteJesus said...
ReplyDelete"Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead."
The disciples said...
"Save us, Lord; we are perishing."
Jesus said to the demons possessing the two men...
"Go."
+++
Christ followers cannot be HALF-HEARTED. Following Christ is costly. He offers no kingdom here on this earth. And He comes first...always.
Christ met the DESPERATE need of his close disciples...showing His authority over nature.
Christ met the DESPERATE need of two men who couldn't ever ask for Him to help...they were fiercely possessed by many demons. In their desperate need, Christ said one word. "Go." And the demons left them. Christ revealed his authority over the spirit-world.
Eyewitness accounts of His Power. How can anyone say He was just a good man?