The Storm - Part 2

God definitely showed me some things this week!! I found myself in some really interesting positions. A few of those times, I know selfishness, pride, and lack of self-control got the best of me. But I am thankful that God didn't give up on me in those foolish moments! I learned a lot. And if I take the time to reflect on each of those moments, God teaches me even more! Isn't that what we should want? For God to teach us, mold us, refine us even more?? SPOILER ALERT! None of us are perfect. (Gasp!! --don't be hurt! Please try to resist from exiting out of this post... I promise it gets better!) I learned a long time ago that He takes us where we are at and, if we are willing, He makes us better. I feel closer to Him when I go through moments like these if I take the time to come to Him and say, "Father, fix me! Show me where I went wrong... help me to do better next time. And not so I can just be a 'better person' but so You can be glorified." It is definitely not easy apologizing. And it's not something I really like to do (especially to another adult...), but when I know it will grow me as His daughter and He will be glorified (because it's definitely coming from Him!!!!!) then it's worth the clammy hands, racing heart, nervous look, shaky voice, and need for extra deodorant!! ;)

Let's get going on today's post...

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you so much for this blog. For this moment to study You more. To visit stories from Your Word and learn from them. God I thank you for these quiet moments when we can reflect on our week, seek Your help in growing us, and asking You to guide us back on the path of Your will. As we read and study the powerful wind today, would You open our minds and hearts to what You would have us gain from this moment in time? Please let us be in Your presence and be filled with the Spirit. Amen!!!!!!!!

So last week we started reading about the storm (heavy winds) in Matthew 14, verses 22-33. Jesus is not on the boat with them. He stayed back to dismiss the crowd and to have some quiet prayer time on His own. So at this moment, the wind is raging... the disciples are in the middle of the Sea, far from land... the boat is being tossed by the waves... and our Lord is not with them... BUM! BUM! BUUUUUM! (just giving it that mystery movie feel).

Picking up in verse 25... And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

BAM!!! Now THAT is a powerful chunk of verses! Did you catch all that??

Jesus is so good! He did not leave the disciples out there in the windy weather on the Sea of Galilee. NO! He came to them! There's high winds tossing their boat about. The men were probably a bit nervous - let's be real! Stomachs turning. A bit concerned for their well-being. And then they see this Man who has been doing amazing things. Some of them are believing in who He really is (Peter hasn't been asked yet "Who do the people say I am? Who do you say I am?") and others still have questions or just that "not sure" mentality. Let's wait for a moment to discuss the walking on water moment and just focus in on the fact that He came! In the middle of a storm (the weather could change in the blink of an eye on this sea), He came! In the middle of chaos, He came! To some very ho-hum men in a boat, He came. Why??? To show His power? To hop a ride the rest of the way to shore? To show He cared? To show His love for these men? I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt this part of this story proves an amazing truth: no matter the situation, Jesus will be there!! As much as snowy weather keeps us stranded or rain slows our travels, we still try our best to get to someone we love when they are in need. How much MORE our Savior will come for us! Just even think on the point that He was willing to come from His place up in Heaven to this Earth, coming down to save us of our sins! Yet in the storms of this world that we will go through in our lifetimes, He will still come to us!

Jesus is so powerful! Think about it... He walked on water!!! I know y'all have seen the silly posters and pictures out there relating to this event (some in good humor so we all chuckle along...). He has sovereign dominion over all matter.  I recently taught solids-liquids-gases to my Kindergarten students. It was neat exploring water in these three states. And then a little girl shouted out, "So did Jesus walk on ice?" I smiled, always excited when Jesus and God are brought up in conversation in my public education classroom!! I told her the best answer I knew: No, sweetie, the Bible tells us that Jesus walked on the water - doing the impossible to prove His awesomeness, something that no one here on Earth could ever do! Isn't it amazing??" I heard a preacher once speak on this regarding the molecules and scientific make-up, these momentary changes that might have occurred the moment His feet touched the water surface. To be honest, I don't really need to spend my brain's energy thinking through it like that. It is just so amazing, such an "awe" moment that I can leave it at just that. I don't ponder too hard about God parting the Red Sea. Or Jesus raising Lazarus. But I believe with my whole heart it happened, that's the truth, and my God is powerful beyond my brain's understanding!!!!!!



Jesus is... Jesus (His voice tells it all... no name needed)! As He is approaching the boat, the guys freak out thinking the "being" is a ghost. Jesus calls out, "It is I!" Is there a group of friends that you know so well that you could walk into a darkened room where they sit and say "It is I" and they'd know your voice? How about your spouse? (I sure HOPE you could do that to your spouse and he/she would know your voice!) In Song of Solomon 2:8 it reads, "Listen! My beloved! Behold, he is coming." That person knew the spouse's voice. I know my sons know my voice!! And I'm sure some folks would know my voice over the phone if Caller ID was taken away. But here we are in a storm, during the Fourth Watch (so like between 3 and 6 a.m.), dark all around, wind howling, waves crashing. And this man comes walking on the water and says "It is I!" How shocking maybe at first!! Holy cow, a man is walking on the water! Oh, but I know that voice!! Comfort and calmness rush over me. I'm still a bit confused at what is taking place... BUT I KNOW THAT VOICE... HE IS HERE! Friends, isn't this such a beautiful thought!?!? True believers who are in an intimate relationship with our Savior KNOW His voice!

One final thought for our study today...

Jesus is reassuring and comforting! After the men grow terrified and fearful of this approaching ghost, Jesus IMMEDIATELY calls out to them to "take heart... do not be afraid." Jesus did not have them sit there in the tossed boat full of fear for long. He immediately called out to them and shared words of comfort. I do not believe fear and doubt come from God. They are feelings we gained from being part of this fallen world. So the Son of God squashed their fears the moment they were expressed out loud. How amazing! When we bring our fears and doubts to Him through prayer (our conversations with Him) He can immediately fill us with peace. We still have to work through some things - I'm not saying the situation that caused that fear or doubt will instantly be removed and erased out of our lives. But the feelings that filled us will be covered over by this supernatural peace that only comes from our Heavenly Father!! Think about it: peace is part of the Fruit of the Spirit. So that peace that washes over us comes from the Spirit filling us, which is a direct connection to the Almighty. WOW!! <<<mind blowing>>>

Friends, there is still one more major part in this story that we will dissect next post (Peter takes an amazing step in faith...). But for now, let's just reflect on the points of today's post: Jesus is good... Jesus is powerful... Jesus is Jesus (we know His voice)... and Jesus is comforting. The men were faced with some pretty extreme conditions (If you want to look more into the Sea of Galilee and its weather, check out http://christiananswers.net/q-eden/ednk-seaofgalilee.html for more info) and then they got to experience something amazing. Let us remember this story and know that when we might be in a horrific storm in this life, Jesus can still do something amazing!

Have you experienced "something amazing" in your lifetime? Or have you seen it take place in someone else's life? I have the faith to know that my God will come to my side, offering me peace like no other, whatever the situation may be because He is the Almighty!

Dear God,
Thank you so much for this study time. I know we were in Your presence!! And I have full faith that You guided this study. God, when we face the storms of this life as we go about our week let us please remember Your goodness and Your peace, Your voice and the comfort that only You can provide! How amazing is this story so far! Please be with us as we start this week. Let us remember to seek You often and keep our focus on Your will for our life. Amen.

The Storm ~ Part 1

I've really enjoyed having this blog as an accountability piece between me and God AND me and you! Seriously! Yes, this is a cyber friendship (frien-bership ??) buuuuut... we stay connected through the Word and it is wonderful!! Enough mushiness... {tomorrow is Valentinue's Day  --  that's my excuse}

Our focus for a few posts is going to be on a storm and Peter. This prompting came to me when I started the last blog post about learning to float. I kept thinking about Peter and the moment he lost focus. Instead of cramming that into the last post, I decided to make it its very own study. I'm not going to rush through it - there's a lot of GOOD stuff. So let's get started!

Dear God,
We are so thankful to be sitting here again and studying more about Your love and grace. In every story and event that we read and learn about, we find more of Your love, promises, and truths to hold close. We ask that You guide us in this study of storms and Peter, and that You reveal great things to us. Let it grow us closer to You, Father. Amen!

Our focus story is Matthew 14:22-33.

At the beginning of Matthew 14 (after John's beheading) we find Jesus and his disciples hanging out with lots of folks. Jesus has the best catering business around (just being silly) -- from a few fish and loaves He is feeding 5,000 men (that number does not include all the women and children in attendance BY THE WAY). So as the hillside feast is wrapping up, some amazing events follow. Let's look at the first few...

Jesus sends His disciples away. And not just away, like a walk down the path. No. In a boat. Out in the water. To head towards the other side. "I'll catch up with you later, guys!" In verse 22 it says "immediately". So prior to dismissing the crowd, He instructs the men to head out. The seas were fair, weather nice at the start of the travel. And the men had followed His guidance and set out on the course.

While His men are sailing away, Jesus dismisses the crowd and heads to a quiet location for some prayer time alone. What a great example He sets for us today! Get away, get alone, and pray, y'all!!! We don't know what all took place during that prayer time but He was there until night fall. At this time, we find out our friends the disciples are out a ways in the water. And at this time, the waves are pounding the boat. The wind is blowing quite fierce. Does this story sound familiar? A boat. A storm. Hmmm? Check out Matthew 8. I wonder if these men (some former fishermen) had a thought like "Seriously? Again?! And this time Jesus isn't with us!!! He calmed the sea with his voice last time. I guess we will suffer through this one... if we're lucky. Ugh!!" Or maybe they thought about His words during the last storm: "Why are you fearful, oh you of little faith!" Maybe they were determined to hanker down and keep the faith in this storm.

At this point, we are going to push pause. I have some thoughts to share with you to wrap up this moment of the study. There's still so much I want to dive into in this story. We aren't even to the amazing walk yet!! But let's ponder together...

*There were fair seas at the start of the travel. Then a storm came before the arrival at the destination. Take a moment to think of this little nugget of truth. Oh, how many events and moments in my life are exactly like this process!! "This is easy enough... smooth sailing from here!" And woooooooo goes the wind and CRASH goes the waves! If you've read the chapter, you know how this stormy story ends. As for us in our daily lives, if we are believers and have faith in Jesus, we too know our ending! The storms may rage but our faith shall not fail. Do we learn from the lesson of the past, "Why are you afraid, you of little faith?" He was there once. He will always be there.

*They had followed His guidance to set out towards the other side. Now, they faced another storm!
Experiencing the first storm together where Jesus calms the seas, they now find themselves facing this storm alone. I'm not saying God wasn't THERE, but Jesus wasn't there (in the physical sense). Had the first experience left enough of an imprint on them? Would their "training" suffice? I believe with all my heart God tests us for many reasons. One of the reasons is to see our maturity and test our trust in Him. Where we fail, He will refine us and train us up if we allow Him the opportunity. Where we stand and not fall, we know we are gaining a stronger foundation. Are we allowing God to train us up? A personal trainer can only train someone in the gym if that person shows up! Then, in a competition, the trainer stands to the side, cheering and shouting out little tidbits of knowledge and technique but it's pretty much up to the contestant at that moment to take all the knowledge and experiences gained and make it through whatever event successfully. Can you connect with this? And don't miss the obedience part of this point. They followed His command. Do we listen to Him when He guides us? Are we obedient when He calls us? Even if it means a storm lies ahead (it's a broken world... storms always lie ahead).

*The disciples did not detract or go off-course.
Now, it's highly unlikely they could get to any shore with ease in the battle with the waves. But we are not told that the disciples abandoned ship or changed headings. So with that, their travels might have been disturbed but they were not driven from them. They pressed on. They stayed the course. Oh, the waves of this world crash hard on us and at times we feel so bogged down and swamped that it is so difficult to even think about moving one tiny step forward. But are we willing to just stay the course?! No matter the storm: no matter the winds or the waves!



So what are your thoughts? We are only a few verses in and I feel like I am overwhelmed with some amazing truths and applications for my life. As the rest of this story unfolds, we will focus in on some more amazing moments that hopefully impact you. As our Messiah shows up in the next scene, so many more golden nuggets can be found. So come back shortly and let's study some more together! Let's pray...

Dear Father,
Thank you so much for putting this study on my heart. There's so many awesome parts remaining in this event that I pray You make it clear for our understanding. Lord, I ask as we go about our lives we think about these few points we have pulled out of this story. God, please train us up. Please guide us. And I pray that we are obedient and respond to Your guidance. No matter what storms lie ahead. May that strengthen our faith! Amen.

----------------------------------------------------------

Ladies, I try very hard to make my thoughts clear. And I try to provide an organized flow to every posting. So it is my prayer that even if there is a loop-dee-loop somewhere in this, that it does not take you off track in your studying and understanding!