Pressing On In His Footsteps

Mark 4:35-41 PHILLIPS   On the evening of that day, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.”  So they sent the crowd home and took Him with them in the little boat in which He had been sitting, accompanied by other small craft.  Then came a violent squall of wind which drove the waves aboard boat until it was almost swamped.  Jesus was in the stern asleep on the cushion.  They awoke Him with words, “Master, don’t You care that we’re drowning?”  And He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the waves, “Hush now!  Be still!”  The wind dropped and everything was very still.  “Why are you so frightened?  What has happened to your faith?!’ He asked them.  But sheer awe swept over them and they kept saying to each other, “Who ever can He be? – even the wind and waves do what He tells them!” 

From the Jesus Storybook Bible:

“Jesus stood up and spoke to the storm.  “Hush!,” He said.  That’s all.  And the strangest thing happened….  The wind and the waves recognized Jesus’ voice.  (They had heard it before, of course – it was the same voice that made them in the beginning.)  They listened to Jesus and they did what He said.   

Immediately the wind stopped.  The water calmed down.  It glittered innocently in the moonlight and lapped quietly against the side of the boat, as if nothing had happened.  The little boat bobbed gently up and down and there was a great quiet all around.  Then Jesus turned to His wind-torn friends.  “Why were you so scared?” He asked.  “Did you forget Who I AM?  Did you believe your fears instead of me?” 

Jesus’ friends were quiet – as quiet as the wind and the waves.  And into their hearts came a different kind of storm.  “What kind of man is this?” they asked themselves anxiously.  “Even the wind and the waves obey Him!” they said because they didn’t understand.  They didn’t realize yet that Jesus was the Son of God. 

Jeus’ friends had been so afraid they had only seen the big waves.  They had forgotten that, if Jesus was with them, they had nothing to be afraid of.  NO MATTER HOW SMALL THEIR BOAT OR HOW BIG THE STORM.  [Excerpted from the JESUS STORYBOOK BIBLE] 

Observation 

This lake was familiar to them, and was their usual fishing grounds.  As fishermen, they knew how to handle a boat in rough water and how to judge the weather to know when a storm was coming.  This storm surprised and frightened them with its intensity and their inability to control the situation.  If they were panicky and terrified, it was surely a wild, violent and powerful storm.  Surely they would have thought it strange that Jesus could remain asleep in the chaotic buffeting of this storm, but they were so focused on the wind, the waves and the water washing into the boat that they had stopped thinking. They did expect Jesus to save them if they could wake Him up!

Jesus was teaching them to move their thinking, their understanding, out of the natural – what is humanly possible – into the supernatural – what is possible for God.  When it came time to feed the 5000, Jesus would take a meager and insufficient little boy’s lunch and supernaturally made it more than enough for everyone to eat and be filled.   When the incurably sick came, Jesus would heal every disease, changing them from unclean to clean by His touch.   This stormy trip would prove to be another lesson in allowing Jesus to be in control regardless of the circumstances.   

So, here Jesus gives them a dose of truth and grace by asking, “Why were you scared?  Did you forget who I AM?  Did you believe your fears instead of me?”  Then, instead of bringing the boat under control, He calms the sea.  He wanted them to understand, to embrace, that all needs, all circumstances, all storms, all insufficiencies, all scary situations are subject to God’s power and authority in and through Him.  “Jesus’ friends had been so afraid they had only seen the big waves.  They had forgotten that, if Jesus was with them, they had nothing to be afraid of.  NO MATTER HOW SMALL THEIR BOAT OR HOW BIG THE STORM.” 

Impact On Me 

“Why were you scared?  Did you forget who I AM?  Did you believe your fears instead of me?”  These are questions I revisit in every scary storm of life, every time when there is not enough, every time sickness threatens, every time evil seems to be winning.  So many looked forward to 2021 as a new year where we could leave the stormy times of the past few years behind – years filled with pandemic, death, rioting, rising crime rates, conflict/anger, injustice, political infighting, misinformation/conspiracy theories, war and every other disruption of our “normal fishing grounds”.   So far, 2021 has proven to be more of the same.

For any student of history, all of these are not new; they are part of the human condition, repeated over and over from ancient times – the legacy of that first mutiny by Adam and Eve in the Garden.  Paul tells us that all creation is groaning along with us on our life journey until our hope is fulfilled (Romans 8:22-25 Phillips). The only guarantee now of security and peace in my life, the only foundation on which hope can be built amid the chaos of this world, has been, continues to be and will forever remain this same Jesus that calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee all those years ago.   

So, when I am buffeted by a storm, I need to stop to revisit the questions above and remember that all creation (seen and unseen, emotional/physical, natural/supernatural) is subject to Him.  “The wind and the waves recognized Jesus’ voice.  (They had heard it before, of course – it was the same voice that made them in the beginning.)  They listened to Jesus and they did what He said.”  Jesus has promised to never leave me or forsake me so He will always be in my boat.  Whether He is awake or asleep, when I think my boat is about to be overwhelmed by the storm, I need to go back and sit down next to Jesus, trusting that we will make it to the other side – regardless of the intensity of the storm along the way. 

Prayer

Lord, You are the Creator of all that exists.  You have all authority and power in heaven and earth.  You are executing Your plan created from the foundation of the Earth regardless of how it looks to me.  It is overwhelming to realize the You love and care for me in spite of all I am and do.  How many times have I given in to my fears and run in panic to You or even away from You.  Yet, You still rescue me.  What kind of love is this?  Holy Spirit, renew my mind so that my thinking can move from the natural to the supernatural, that I may see with the eyes of Jesus and understand with the Father’s heart.  Teach me to walk fully in Christ, functioning in my perfect place in His Body, equipped with the weapons of His warfare and always choosing Your side of every battle, keeping my eyes on Jesus regardless of the circumstances swirling around me, content to ride out every storm sitting next to You as You sleep in my boat.  Make it so, in the name of Jesus. 

2 Kings 7:3-7 MSG It happened that four lepers were sitting just outside the city gate. They said to one another, “What are we doing sitting here at death’s door? If we enter the famine-struck city we’ll die. So let’s take our chances in the camp of Aram and throw ourselves on their mercy. If they receive us, we’ll live; if they kill us we’ll die. We’ve got nothing to lose.”

5-7 So after the sun went down they got up and went to the camp of Aram. When they got to the edge of the camp, surprise! Not a man in the camp! The Master had made the army of Aram hear the sound of horses and a mighty army on the march. They told one another, “The king of Israel hired the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Egypt to attack us!” Panicked, they ran for their lives through the darkness, abandoning tents, horses, donkeys – the whole camp just as it was – running for dear life.

Observation

Leprosy is a chronic, progressive bacterial infection primarily affecting the nerves of the extremities (fingers, toes), the skin, the lining of the nose, and the upper respiratory tract, producing skin ulcers, nerve damage, and muscle weakness that untreated causes severe disfigurement and significant disability.  Lepers of this time were pariahs who usually lived in isolated areas, depending upon the benevolence of others, and required to loudly announce their approach so everyone could keep significant social distance.  

We have here four lepers assessing their options as they sit outside the city gates.  The overwhelming army of Aram, known for their cruelty and mercilessness, have blockaded the city until resources are scarce.  The people inside the city are starving and desperate enough to resort to looking to the unthinkable for food.  In good times, lepers depended on the mercy, compassion and benevolence of family and strangers.  Now the resources are so scarce that these lepers know that nothing will be spared for them in the city.  There is only one other place to turn.  “So let’s take our chances in the camp of Aram and throw ourselves on their mercy. If they receive us, we’ll live; if they kill us we’ll die. We’ve got nothing to lose.” 

Imagine the sight!  These four lepers were weak from hunger and disfigured by this disease (perhaps missing fingers, toes, nose) as they struggled to their feet to limp, stumble and hobble toward the enemy camp in the dark.  These four were no part of any battle plan we would consider, but God is not limited by what we consider prudent or possible.  Paul tells us that God uses the weak to confound the wise (1 Corinthians 1:20-31 Phillips) to keep us from glorying in our own talents, abilities, wisdom, accomplishments.  God used these people of negative value to their community to deliver them from the enemy.  “The Master had made the army of Aram hear the sound of horses and a mighty army on the march. They told one another, “The king of Israel hired the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Egypt to attack us!” Panicked, they ran for their lives through the darkness, abandoning tents, horses, donkeys – the whole camp just as it was – running for dear life.”  These four were used by God to deliver the whole city.  This is good for us to remember as we are tempted to judge the value of another’s contribution in accomplishing God’s will and purpose.  

Impact on Me

I am reminded of this story every time I weigh the worth of what I bring to the table to answer God’s call on my life.  I believe that God wants me to be active in seeking Him, reading His Word, studying, preparing myself for service and actually doing good works in His name.  These are all necessary to demonstrate my commitment to Him, but – and this is a big but – He does not NEED my talents, abilities, education, finances, wisdom or anything else of mine to accomplish His will and purposes.  My evidence is these four lepers.  If God can make these stumbling, starving lepers sound like a mighty army, then He can equip me (or anyone else who is willing) to do anything He asks me to do if I will be obedient to get up and go as He directs. 

So, I stopped telling God what I think I need and started asking Him to show me what He thinks I need.  He first tells me that I need to know what He really did for me on the Cross.  Knowing this equips me with righteousness, peace, joy and all the weapons I need for warfare.  Then I hear He needs my willingness to trust in Him and faithfully obey His leading, knowing that He will go with me and provide all I need to do His work.  Like these four lepers, I need to get up and go in the direction God sends me.  I need to bring all I have and am, put it on the table which is God’s altar, let Him assess its worth and place in His plan, and freely allow Him to use whatever He can for His glory.

Prayer

I exalt Your name, Oh God, Creator, Redeemer, Eternal, Awesome, Wise, All-Powerful One.  I surrender all I am and have to You for Your will and purposes.  May my life be a praise to You, one of obedient and faithful service, glorifying You in all I am, say and do.  If ever my pride rises up to take any glory from You, remind me of these four lepers; You don’t need my help, but for some reason You have included me in accomplishing Your plans.  I certainly need Your help to do so.  I pray this all in Jesus’ mighty name.  Amen.

Romans 8:22-30 Phillips

Romans 8 is a chapter about letting go of our past,

• patiently embracing all the being “in Christ” provides for us, and
• patiently putting our hope and faith in the future God has planned for us all (“in our moments of impatience let us remember that hope always means waiting for something that we haven’t yet got”).

Paul encourages us to understand that our “state of painful tension” is created by our impatience, anguish and urgency to see results/progress in ourselves and others, to see the fulfillment in us all of our full sonship in Christ.  Paul tells us that the Holy Spirit is working God’s love, grace and truth in us and the world around us 24/7/365 (albeit most of the time imperceptibly to us) in powerful ways, changing hearts even in places inaccessible to us.

Paul asks us to trust in God’s original and only plan – even when we don’t understand how “everything that happens fits into a pattern for good.”  This is all fine and good when life is going smoothly, but becomes so difficult when we face urgent and heartbreaking circumstances that shake us to our foundations – prodigal children, chronic or terminal illness, death, divorce and so on.  How could God turn such events to bring about good, to accomplish His original and only plan?  How can God give us beauty for ashes and joy for mourning?  Only God – only God!

While Paul experienced many physical persecutions, as I look back on my life, I can only claim spiritual and emotional imprisonment, shipwreck and beatings.  I suspect you have, too.  The imprisonment of mental/physical illnesses (whether your own or as a parent/caregiver), the shipwreck of broken relationships (abuse, abandonment, divorce, death, church splits), the spiritual/emotional beatings of prodigal/rebellious/violent family members – to name a few – all create wounds that make us sensitive and condition our reaction to the world, situations and circumstances around us.

Paul is asking us to let Jesus heal the wounds of the past so we can respond according to hope and faith rather than react according to the wounds of our past.  He is asking us to be defined by God’s future for us rather than our past or what this world can offer. 

• In Christ my past can no longer hurt or limit me – if I allow myself to release the guilt, shame and sensitivities of it. 
• In Christ I can freely forgive because I am freely forgiven.
• In Christ I am His beloved regardless of how the world judges my worth.
• In Christ I can rejoice and trust always even when the world calls me foolish.

It is my choice to live in Christ or as a subject of the world.

“In Christ alone, my hope is found.  He is my life, my strength, my song.  This cornerstone, this solid ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm.  What heights of love, what depths of peace, when fears are stilled and strivings cease.  My Comforter, my all-in-all; here in the love of Christ I’ll stand.”  https://www.stuarttownend.co.uk/song/in-christ-alone/

Genesis 3:1-7 NIV  Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”  2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”  4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”  6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.  7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Observation

Traditionally in Sunday School, the fruit is represented as an apple.  Perhaps this is because the apple is such a familiar fruit to younger children.  The Bible point is not what kind of fruit it was but rather that Adam and Eve decided that they wanted to decide good and evil for themselves rather than trust God to determine what is good or evil for them.  This is the original sin (“The Fall”), the root of all the pride, selfishness, murder, greed, arrogance, abuse, war and every other way of breaking the relationship God intended to share with us from the beginning.  Adam, “who was with her,” only had to say, “Eve, don’t take the apple from the tree.  We will trust God.”  

Realistically, the serpent, Satan, is a master at deception.  It would have found someone in following generations to deceive and, if The Fall had not happened with Adam and Eve, it would have happened with one of their descendents eventually.  The most remarkable aspect of this whole story is that God knew it would happen and had a plan to restore shalom to His creation even before The Fall.  He created a redemption plan before the first betrayal and remained faithful to it through all the subsequent ones.   What kind of love is this?

Impact on Me

This question brings to mind when Jesus washed the feet of His disciples.  He washed the feet of them all, even Judas whose heart was set to betray Him.  Could I humble myself before an enemy like that?  To me, this is the same astounding grace God showed to Adam and Eve and all their descendants by sticking to His plan for redemption despite all the betrayals throughout Israel’s history.  

When Jesus died on the Cross, He provided for me and every other individual a way to choose to “give the apple back” by surrendering our control and submitting to His Word on what is good and evil.  This requires that I allow the Holy Spirit freedom over all of me including my shameful places, my fallen places, my secret places.  It is my choice.  The serpent will tell me that I cannot trust God’s grace and mercy in these places, that God will be repulsed and angry at my betrayal.  

Then, the sweet Holy Spirit will remind me of the meek and humble Jesus washing the feet of Judas on that night.  Ultimately, I am the one who will choose whom I trust and obey. Will I choose to trust God on what is good and what is evil, even when He asks me to humble myself before my enemies?  Can I give the apple back and not pick another?

Prayer

Lord, You have proven throughout Your Word that your love, grace and mercy will cover all our sin, every betrayal, when we surrender, confess, repent and submit to Your lordship.  This is giving the apple back.  In doing so, I may need to make painful sacrifices that humble me, that are a focused attack on my pride, my control, my dreams.  This will require the same courage, the same strength, the same trust in You that allowed Jesus to kneel at Judas’ feet to wash them, that sustained Him to suffer and die on that Cross.  He allowed You to determine that the cost to Him was worth the benefit to us all.  Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so I may become more like Jesus allowing You to judge whether the cost to me of obedience is worth the benefit to Your kingdom.  Make it so.  Amen.