soul food
from the reading for thursday, september 27:
from Luke 8 -
"So they set out, and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a widstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying, 'Master, Master, we are perishing!' And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm.
He said to them,'Where is your faith?'"
i love this. here we find the disciples in actual peril. the storm was threatening to sink their boat. this was not a perception, and figment of their imagination, it was truly dangerous for them to be on that lake and they feared for their lives for good reason, as Luke says that the water was filling their craft. when Jesus awakes, he does not rebuke them for over-reacting to a situation in which they percieved themselves to be in danger. no, He rebuked them for not trusting their lives to Him in that very real peril. but, for their sakes, for the building up and strengthening of their faith, He calmed that storm. He demonstrated His saving power that they might see and believe, but He did not need to calm the storm for them to be safe. They had been safe all along, in that very danger, because God Himself was in their boat!
God does not promise to keep us safe by tucking us away in his favorite curio cabinet, far away from the elements. "In this world, you will have tribulation," He says. And King David surely knew what it meant to be in real peril, to have his life in danger, to be in the midst of death. God did not prevent his being in that situation; on the contrary, God put him in that very circumstance, and David acted obediently by calling out "Lord, save me!" His faith was in God's power to save. And God is faithful. He sets His angels around us, He gives us victory through His own strength. This also makes me think of all the wars Israel fought as they sojourned to take possession of the promised land. God would give them their enemies on a platter, but Israel had to get out there and fight - get bloody and beat up, meeting the edge of the spear at every turn. Yet, the victory was already decided.
In our world, peril is real. We are called to do a lot of scary things, and we find ourselves in spots that take major faith - and that's exactly the point. God is right here with us, and every spiritual blessing is ours. The same God who commands armies of angels, myriads upon myraids of heavenly hosts, attentively keeps your body and soul in His hand.
from Luke 8 -
"So they set out, and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a widstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying, 'Master, Master, we are perishing!' And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm.
He said to them,'Where is your faith?'"
i love this. here we find the disciples in actual peril. the storm was threatening to sink their boat. this was not a perception, and figment of their imagination, it was truly dangerous for them to be on that lake and they feared for their lives for good reason, as Luke says that the water was filling their craft. when Jesus awakes, he does not rebuke them for over-reacting to a situation in which they percieved themselves to be in danger. no, He rebuked them for not trusting their lives to Him in that very real peril. but, for their sakes, for the building up and strengthening of their faith, He calmed that storm. He demonstrated His saving power that they might see and believe, but He did not need to calm the storm for them to be safe. They had been safe all along, in that very danger, because God Himself was in their boat!
God does not promise to keep us safe by tucking us away in his favorite curio cabinet, far away from the elements. "In this world, you will have tribulation," He says. And King David surely knew what it meant to be in real peril, to have his life in danger, to be in the midst of death. God did not prevent his being in that situation; on the contrary, God put him in that very circumstance, and David acted obediently by calling out "Lord, save me!" His faith was in God's power to save. And God is faithful. He sets His angels around us, He gives us victory through His own strength. This also makes me think of all the wars Israel fought as they sojourned to take possession of the promised land. God would give them their enemies on a platter, but Israel had to get out there and fight - get bloody and beat up, meeting the edge of the spear at every turn. Yet, the victory was already decided.
In our world, peril is real. We are called to do a lot of scary things, and we find ourselves in spots that take major faith - and that's exactly the point. God is right here with us, and every spiritual blessing is ours. The same God who commands armies of angels, myriads upon myraids of heavenly hosts, attentively keeps your body and soul in His hand.
posted by jen at
9:05 PM
1 Comments:
Thanks jen for your comments - that is one of my favorite passages to renew faith in God's sovereignty in our lives - He fully plans to get to the other side of the lake with His disciples - storm or no storm.
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