Lord Jesus, teach us how to let go of our worries and concerns about life into your loving hands. Teach us to believe that with you in our lives we can face every challenge including the possibility of dying. Help us remember that trusting in the Father you did die on the cross conquering sin and death for all times. Amen.
Kayaking has become a popular pastime along the streams, creeks and rivers of PA. In many ways enjoying kayaking is a parallel to life. There are times where one can simply go with the flow and others when you must paddle like mad to avert real problems and dangers.
Life is a constant stream of challenges. It is filled with a steady flow forward that sometimes can be growing turbulence, cascading rapids, or frustrating back eddys. Some people seem to navigate the challenges of life with relative ease and few disorienting life crises, others seem to become caught in every cross current and hydraulic on the stream.
The disciples were familiar with the water and all the hazards and dangers that it could bring. While not the particular dangers of kayaking storms could blow up in minutes and easily threaten the small boats with which some disciples made their living. In Luke 8:24 we learn that the disciples feared for their lives in the midst of one storm. Meanwhile Jesus was asleep in the back of the boat. The terrified disciples wake Jesus and in Mark’s version the disciples accuse Jesus of not caring, “The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" Jesus response is, "Where is your faith?"
Over the years people have asked me,“Where is Jesus?” “Doesn’t he care that I am struggling?” “What am I supposed to do?”
In those moments I always remember the story above. The question is how do we apply it to those crises and moments in life? It is easy to cry out with the disciples and to accuse Jesus, to be angry with him because he isn’t fixing our situation but the truth is Jesus never promised us he about that. Instead Jesus focuses his gaze and his attention on the disciples and us and says, “Where is your faith?” Jesus understands the enduring solution isn’t in fixing the situation or changing the circumstances. The enduring solution is in us being changed. Jesus sleeps on the pillow in the back of the boat because he completely trusts the Father with everything in his life. Jesus knows whatever will be, will be OK as long as he is in the Father’s care. Ultimately, that meant that even death on the cross would be OK. As the Apostle Paul says, “Whether we live, or die, we are the Lord’s.”
None of this means that life will be easy or that we won’t face the challenges including the life threatening rapids of life. Life is ever changing like the river. What it does mean is that we are not alone in the midst of anything, good times or tough times; we are always in Christ as the baptized children of God. The disciples may have had their doubts about the situation but they knew what to do even if they did it awkwardly. They spoke to Jesus. They announced their fear and they sought Jesus’ help. Jesus was there for them.
Jesus is always there. He is always with us on that cushion in the back. As the psalmist writes,
“121: 5 The LORD watches over you-- the LORD is your shade at your right hand; 6 the sunwill not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD will keep you from all harm-- he will watch over your life; 8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” Jesus is always there talk to him on the river of life.
Talk to Jesus, tell him your fears. Listen to what he asks. “Where is your faith?”
Keep your faith in Jesus; in life and death.
Kayaking has become a popular pastime along the streams, creeks and rivers of PA. In many ways enjoying kayaking is a parallel to life. There are times where one can simply go with the flow and others when you must paddle like mad to avert real problems and dangers.
Life is a constant stream of challenges. It is filled with a steady flow forward that sometimes can be growing turbulence, cascading rapids, or frustrating back eddys. Some people seem to navigate the challenges of life with relative ease and few disorienting life crises, others seem to become caught in every cross current and hydraulic on the stream.
The disciples were familiar with the water and all the hazards and dangers that it could bring. While not the particular dangers of kayaking storms could blow up in minutes and easily threaten the small boats with which some disciples made their living. In Luke 8:24 we learn that the disciples feared for their lives in the midst of one storm. Meanwhile Jesus was asleep in the back of the boat. The terrified disciples wake Jesus and in Mark’s version the disciples accuse Jesus of not caring, “The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" Jesus response is, "Where is your faith?"
Over the years people have asked me,“Where is Jesus?” “Doesn’t he care that I am struggling?” “What am I supposed to do?”
In those moments I always remember the story above. The question is how do we apply it to those crises and moments in life? It is easy to cry out with the disciples and to accuse Jesus, to be angry with him because he isn’t fixing our situation but the truth is Jesus never promised us he about that. Instead Jesus focuses his gaze and his attention on the disciples and us and says, “Where is your faith?” Jesus understands the enduring solution isn’t in fixing the situation or changing the circumstances. The enduring solution is in us being changed. Jesus sleeps on the pillow in the back of the boat because he completely trusts the Father with everything in his life. Jesus knows whatever will be, will be OK as long as he is in the Father’s care. Ultimately, that meant that even death on the cross would be OK. As the Apostle Paul says, “Whether we live, or die, we are the Lord’s.”
None of this means that life will be easy or that we won’t face the challenges including the life threatening rapids of life. Life is ever changing like the river. What it does mean is that we are not alone in the midst of anything, good times or tough times; we are always in Christ as the baptized children of God. The disciples may have had their doubts about the situation but they knew what to do even if they did it awkwardly. They spoke to Jesus. They announced their fear and they sought Jesus’ help. Jesus was there for them.
Jesus is always there. He is always with us on that cushion in the back. As the psalmist writes,
“121: 5 The LORD watches over you-- the LORD is your shade at your right hand; 6 the sunwill not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD will keep you from all harm-- he will watch over your life; 8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” Jesus is always there talk to him on the river of life.
Talk to Jesus, tell him your fears. Listen to what he asks. “Where is your faith?”
Keep your faith in Jesus; in life and death.
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