Navigating through the storms of life

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." ~Jesus as quoted in John 16:33

My heart has been broken over the recent flash flooding in Texas and other states. The amount of water that swept through that took and devastated so many lives, is beyond my ability to completely process. There is a deep feeling of helplessness in response to all the reports, and a yearning to try to make sense out of all it. My only recourse is to run to my Savior in prayer and petition for all who have been affected.

The fact is there will be storms, and in many cases, those storms will cause disaster. So how do we manage when they do?

My mind goes to Scripture and the situations Jesus allowed the disciples to experience. My first thought goes to Mark 4:36-40 where the disciples and Jesus were in the boat when a great windstorm arose, beating upon the boat. The boat was beginning to fill with water and the disciples were afraid. Jesus however was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. Terrified, the disciples awoke Him and asked "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"  He arose, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. His question to them "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" 

I then think of another event on the stormy seas recorded in Matthew 14:24-32. The disciples had just experienced the miraculous feeding of over 5,000 men, women and children with five loaves of bread and two fish, with enough left overs to fill twelve baskets.  Jesus then sent them ahead of Him by boat, while He went to the mountain by Himself to pray.  When the boat was in the middle of the sea, the wind became contrary.  About the fourth watch (which is described as being between 3am and 6am) Jesus came walking to the disciples on water.  Now you know they must have been weary and feeling quite a bit overwhelmed.  They were even afraid that they were seeing a ghost and cried out in fear. Jesus spoke to them "It is I; do not be afraid." This next part is my favorite.  Peter, being Peter, answered and said "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." And Jesus did just that saying "Come." This part is where it becomes so real to me. Peter got out of the boat and walked on water.  That is until he became distracted by the wind and the waves, took his eyes off of Jesus, and became afraid. 

Isn't that us?  We walk in tremendous faith until the storms of life distract us with the noise of the wind and the waves of adversity.  Suddenly feeling overwhelmed by our circumstances or the circumstances of others, we shift our focus off the face of the One Who controls the wind and the waves, and sink in the storm itself.

Oh but blessed Savior that He is, just as he stretched out His hand to Peter and caught him when he cried out in fear "Lord, save me!", He will do the same for us.

Again and again, He calls out to us to keep our eyes on Him and walk with Him in faith. 

It's hard. Our eyes see and ears hear things that cause us to shrink back in faltering faith and fear. Faith is tested when we are asked to shift our focus from what we see and trust what we have learned about Jesus and His character. That is why it is imperative to get to know Him intimately through Bible study and prayer.

There is an old hymn that is running through my head as I write this. "Oh, soul are you weary and troubled, no light in the darkness you see? There's light for a look at the Savior, and life more abundant and free. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace. His word will not fail you, He promised. Believe Him and all will be well. Then go to a world that is dying, His perfect salvation to tell. Turn you eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace."

Just as Peter learned when he became distracted by the storm but was rescued when he cried out "Lord, save me!" we too can find refuge and safety in life's storms. The second verse of the song Turn your eyes upon Jesus, reminds us "Thro' death into life everlasting, He passed, and we follow Him there; over us sin no more hath dominion-for more than conquerors we are!"  We can walk in victory even in the storms. Cry out to Jesus. He longs to give you a place of refuge in the midst of life's storms.  He is faithful and loves us beyond what we can possibly imagine. He simply wants us to follow Him in faith.

In doing so, we can "walk on water" and in His perfect timing, we will all make it home.

 

The Sideways Glance

I have a confession to make.  There is something I struggle with much more than I'd like to admit. It's the problem of the sideways glance. Perhaps you struggle as well as you endeavor to follow after the Lord.  Our eyes are fixed on Him and the path He is laying before us, when suddenly something catches our attention out of the corner of our eye. We know the importance of keeping our eyes fixed on the path Jesus is leading us on, but the temptation to look away is strong, so for a moment we give the distraction a sideways glance.

And trouble always ensues. Maybe not for long, but the briefest glace away from the Savior delays our journey with Him. It created chaos in the beginning when Eve was distracted by the serpent, and he put doubt in her mind by asking her "Did God really say..." (See Genesis 3:1). Later in John 21:18-22 we see Peter getting distracted as he saw John following them as he and Jesus talked. And in one of my favorite accounts in Matthew 14;13-32 we see faith, failure because of distractions and restoration. Jesus had just finished feeding 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish and then sent the disciples ahead of Him by boat to the other side. In verse 25 we read that in about the fourth watch they saw Him walking towards them on the water. Thinking He was a ghost they cried out in fear. He assured them it was Him. Peter, being Peter said basically...prove it Lord, if it's You tell me to come to You on the water. Jesus said "Come".  Emboldened by the Lord's command Peter got out of the boat and walked on water to Jesus.  

But then...distracted by the wind and the waves he began to sink.

Blessedly the Lord is gracious when we cry out to Him to save us.

Distractions are always around us.  The key to victory is to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. But I know from experience that it's hard at times It takes a concentrated effort not to get distracted.

Years ago, I was leading a ladies Bible study group, and we were discussing the difficulty with getting distracted. At the time, my sister was raising horses, so I knew the way they kept a skittish horse from being distracted when teaching them to a trail, was to put blinders on the horse's bridal. The blinder was a piece placed on the bridal at the side of the horse's eyes; that kept the horse from seeing anything that might cause it to shy and throw the rider. I used the example as an illustration of how we must put on "spiritual blinders" so as not to be distracted by the things the enemy throws in our path. Our spiritual blinders are more necessary every day. It is imperative that we spend time in God's word and in prayer.

A myriad of distractions vie for our attention daily, seeking to pull us off the path the Lord is putting before us. I know I must deliberately put on "spiritual blinders" daily to keep me from giving a sideways glance to the things that cause me to stumble and sink.  My journey with Jesus continues upward, and I want to be with Him always.  He is faithfully leading me each step of the way.  Our job as believers, is to keep our eyes fixed on Him and follow where He leads.

Me He grant each of us the courage and wisdom to stay focused on Him and may our fixed focus draw other eyes to Him.

To Him be the glory and honor forever. 

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"You follow Me." ~Jesus 

Lessons from a splinter

It was the tiniest speck of a splinter in the heal of my hand, but was causing me frustration. I got it while doing work in the yard and used the normal route of tweezers to remove it. Although I managed to get the larger portion out, a tiny, nearly invisible piece remained imbedded in my hand. And it hurt!

I tried getting it out with a needle and peroxide, but to no avail.  So I waited.  I knew the body's natural healing would take its course and make the splinter fester.  When it did, I was finally able to remove the speck of annoyance from my hand.  Although it is still tender, I know the wound will now completely heal. Looking at the speck I thought of how the tiniest things can create enormous pain and frustration.  I realized there was a lesson deeper than the physical splinters we try to avoid.

As I prayed and pondered, the Lord brought to mind how anxiety is the splinter in our souls. The tiniest worry that God is not in control or able to meet our needs, creates a festering wound that only He can heal. This immediately brought to mind Philippians 4:6&7 "Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus."

Isn't the peace of God what we all desire? 

His peace, which surpasses all understanding is available to those who find comfort under the shadow of His wings. He will heal us of the splinters and wounds in our souls if we will let Him. So when that little speck of anxiety pokes your soul - pray.  Thank God that He is showing you there are places He wants you to allow Him to heal. Ask Him to reveal the root and then rejoice as He brings about healing. 

He loves us more than we can possibly imagine and wants to heal us of everything that keeps us from living joyfully in His presence and peace. Turn to Him with your anxieties.  Trust Him to do an awesome work.

He is always faithful.