Christians confess in song and prayer that “God is good … all the time.” He is! Yesterday, in the hoopla of the 4th, I reflected on the goodness of God that I have known as an American; so thankful for opportunities, for freedom, for a land of prosperity, for ‘more than enough’ in life. I am grateful for His blessings that my family has known in countless ways through the years. The personal peace that I enjoy, living with purpose now and anticipating Heaven to come, is a gift of His amazing grace, not to be overlooked as I count my blessings …
HOWEVER …
I have lived through seasons and situations that tested the limits of my faith when I asked Him - “Don’t You care?” 9 years ago, as my wife’s health failed and death was looming, my heart was often overwhelmed by a darkness so dense that my only prayer was simply to whisper the Name of Jesus - desperately. Yes, I know times of loss well even in the middle of many joys!
It is likely you too have wondered at some point “Don’t You care?” If you have not, likely you will. It is the way of life on this side of Eternity. How can faith rekindle, hope be reborn, and new joy be found? Let’s talk about that.
The Gospel of Mark, written in spare prose, gives us this glimpse
into a moment of fear one night on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had spent the day teaching large crowds
about the meaning of His new Way. He told stories about seeds and soils, lamps
on lampstands, and mustard seeds. He taught from a small boat on the shore
because of the size of the gathering.
Then we read this - "As evening came, Jesus said to his
disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” He was already in the
boat, so they started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats
followed). But soon a fierce storm arose. High waves began to break into the
boat until it was nearly full of water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the
boat with his head on a cushion. Frantically they woke him up, shouting,
“Teacher, don’t you even care that we are going to drown?” (Mark
4:35-38, NLT)
It does not take a lot of imagination to step into their
fear, does it? It’s a small boat, loaded
heavily with men, and the storm that blew up so quickly was creating waves that
swamped their craft. And Jesus is asleep! They forgot, in their terror, the lessons in
faith they had heard that day and rather than awaken Him to seek His guidance,
they accused Him of not caring about them.
How easily we fall into the same failure, angry
at God when life goes upside down, instead of trusting Him to lead the Way. It’s an age old issue. We read this in the
ancient song of the 44th Psalm - "Awake, O Lord! Why do you
sleep? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever. Why do you hide your face and
forget our misery and oppression? We are brought down to the dust; our bodies
cling to the ground." (Psalm 44:23-25, NIV)
The rest of the story goes like this - "When he woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the water, “Quiet down!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. And he asked them, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still not have faith in me?” And they were filled with awe and said among themselves, “Who is this man, that even the wind and waves obey him?” (Mark 4:39-41, NLT)
Faith teaches us to trust the One who is writing the
story of our lives, not just to cry for change of our situation. Jesus was not unaware of the danger to His
friends, nor was He without resources. He taught them that He mastered even
nature’s forces - a fact that quieted them, filling them with awe! In your time of trouble, you too can find Him
more than you ever knew Him to be, Lord of life and death, giver of hope and
love without parallel. Remember always- He never promises to lead us only along
pathways that are wide and easy. He does
tells us that He will never leave us, never forsake us - that He is with us - even
in the ‘valley of the shadow of death.’
When waves threaten, when the stormy dark envelopes us, let us choose to seek Him, remembering that He loves and cares. If words fail, if we lose our footing, let’s just whisper “Jesus” trusting, waiting, holding tightly to the unfailing promise that is our word from the Word this day. "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8, NIV) "God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5, NIV) Can I get an “Amen?”
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(Video of this blog at this link)
Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us
(Enjoy a mellow presentation at this link)
Savior, like a Shepherd lead us;
Much we need Thy tender care.
In Thy pleasant pastures feed us;
For our use Thy folds prepare.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus!
Thou hast bought us; Thine we are.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus!
Thou hast bought us, Thine we are.
We are Thine; do Thou befriend us;
Be the Guardian of our way.
Keep Thy flock; from sin defend us;
Seek us when we go astray.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus!
Hear thy children when they pray;
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus!
Hear Thy children when they pray.
Savior Like A Shepherd Lead Us
Thrupp, Dorothy A. / Bradbury, William B.
© Public Domain
