Brown's Daily Word 5-8-09

Good Morning,
Praise the Lord that He is the Lord of the whole of creation. He is the Christ in every crisis. Even the wind and storms obey Him. The Lord performs miracles in the midst of the storms in our lives. He calms the violent storms and He calms the fears of His servants. Matthew, Mark, and John all tell their own versions of the story of calming the storm on the sea of Galilee. (See Matthew 14: 24-33; Mark 6:47-52). The three accounts vary in the details they record. For example, in Matthew’s account that we see Peter's attempt to walk on water. John leaves that out, possibly to keep the focus on Jesus. Regardless, they all emphasize the terror that gripped these men in that dark hour of the night when the storm was raging about them. Whether it was the suddenness of the storm, the darkness of the hour, or the worry about Jesus and his puzzling reaction to the adoring crowds that day, this storm seemed worse than others they had faced.
One thing is sure, and that is the fact that each account tells of the miraculous appearance of Jesus on the water. His appearing in that way struck terror in their hearts. It was something totally out of the ordinary and unexpected. They were very much afraid! Fear is like that. Sometimes it is not just the particular situation that heightens our fear, but it is reflective of a condition inside us. Fear is intensified by being alone or, worse yet, feeling lonely. Jesus’ simple message to those terrified fisherman is the same message He has for you and for me when we are caught alone in the darkness, tossed by the winds of life, or feeling helpless. He said, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” Jesus climbed into the boat and suddenly all was right with the world again. Mark’s gospel makes an important connection with the events of the day. “{51} Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, {52} for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened." They should not have been surprised that the same one who can feed five thousand plus people with a few loaves and fishes can also stay the storm, but they didn’t make the connection. Neither do we! How often we claim to believe in Jesus the Savior, the crucified and risen one but then we fail to understand that He can carry us through the tumult of the day. In the midst of your storm, do not be afraid! He is here. “Lo, I am with you always,” he promised his followers (Matthew 28:20). The night before the cross He told His men, "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you,” (John 14:18)."
David echoed this beautifully in Psalm 139, “You hem me in--behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, 'Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,' even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you “(5-12). Whatever fear we face, whatever the storm we feel caught up in, it will not - it cannot - separate us from the presence of Jesus. In the mist of our storm, let us not be afraid! He is here. In one of his most unforgettable stories Robert Louis Stevenson told about a storm-tossed ship at sea. The passengers were all order below deck while the crew contended with the winds. They were terrified as they huddled nervously in the galley, hearing and feeling the storm but not knowing how the crew was fairing. One passenger volunteered to venture out to check on conditions. Several minutes later, he returned and simply reported, “All is well. I saw the captain and he smiled.” Regardless of the terror of the storm, we can rest assured that the captain of our souls has not forgotten us. He knows our circumstances just as assuredly as he knew about the wind and the waves. He knew their limits. He knew their fears. He knew their peril. He saw it all. He still does all of this! He sees and knows every problem we face. He also knows when to intervene (and when not to). We may wonder why, if He can rescue us, He waits so long. Why does He sometimes let us go through so much or allow us to get in so deep before He steps in? Why does it sometimes look like He will not come to our aid and rescue? Why does it sometimes feel as if He has abandoned us?” C. S. Lewis gave an answer in his book, "The Problem of Pain". Rather late in his life Lewis married American woman, knowing she only had a short time to live. Lewis said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world” (page 93). In the latter part of the book, Lewis wrote about how sometimes life’s storms are really God’s spiritual curriculum. If we were to remove all of the storms, we might never learn the most important lessons of life. He stated that sometimes, as we are on a happy course through life, suddenly “a stab of pain threatens serious disease or a newspaper headline threatens us all with destruction, sends the whole pack of cards tumbling down. At first I’m overwhelmed and all my little happiness looks like broken toys. And perhaps, by God’s grace, I succeed, and for a day or two become a creature consciously dependent on God and drawing its strength from the right sources. But the moment the threat is withdrawn, my whole nature leaps back to the toys. . . . Thus the terrible necessity of tribulation is only too clear. God has had me for but forty-eight hours, then only by dint of taking everything else away from me. Let Him but sheathe the sword for a minute, and I behave like a puppy when the hated bath is over. I shake myself as dry as I can, and race off to reacquire my comfortable dirtiness in the nearest flower bed. And that is why tribulation cannot cease until God sees us remade or sees that our remaking is now hopeless” (p. 106-107). Once we have made the decision to welcome Him into our boat, we do not have to be afraid, though the wind blows and the sea billows roll. He is here.
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlAYiQetZoQ