"They woke Him up and said, 'Master, don't you care if we sink?' As Jesus awoke, He rebuked the wind and ordered the sea, 'Quiet now! Be still!' The wind dropped and there was a great calm. Then Jesus said to them, 'Why are you so frightened? Do you still have no faith?'" - Mark 4:38-40
In a lot of ways, Jesus, although He was asleep, was a lot more awake than the apostles as their boat shook in the storm. There's an attitude that we as His followers need to embrace in order to really keep the faith. Has God not told us repeatedly that if He is for us, no one can be against us? But we still let falter and we still get scared. The Lord does something powerful for us today, but in the face of something new tomorrow we become like the apostles, shivering and screaming on a boat as if they hadn't already seen His glory. In contrast, Jesus sleeps peacefully because He knows the power of His Father in Heaven, and drawing from that power, He commands the wind and sea to be still in full confidence… something that you and I have the power to do if we believe.
But before we get down on ourselves and let our lack of faith discourage us, I believe there is a reason Jesus picked people who stumbled and struggled, so that we can find strength and comfort in their faith journeys. They saw miracles first hand and still doubted Jesus, yet the Lord didn't give up on them and kept giving them grace upon grace to make those terrified, weak men the pillars of the Church. How much more will Jesus give strength to us who haven't seen Him with our eyes or touched Him with our Hands? Yes, awaken yourselves in your faith. Yes, have trust in Jesus because His love endures forever… but never let your setbacks hold you back forever. Awake and keep on going!
Today's Prayer:
Jesus, I need continued renewal in Your Word and Your promises. I so easily forget today what You have done for me yesterday. Help me renew my faith each and every day so that I can be Your good and faithful servant. In Your Name we pray, amen.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Awake!
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