The question from Jesus to me today is, “why are you afraid?’’ It is because I am in the middle of some horrific storm? But there is, in the boat with me, Jesus Christ. Emmanuel—God with me in the storm. I shout at Him to rouse Him from his slumber, “Lord, don’t You care that I’m drowning in this?” He speaks, “Silence! Be still!” And then I realize that Jesus isn’t just speaking to the Storm. He’s telling me to be still and know that He is God and I’m not alone in the middle of the situation. The Storm doesn’t bother him.
The Storm comes and goes like it always does. And then he asks me a question. “Why are you afraid? Could it be that you don’t have any faith?” And therein lies the rub. I have been living on how I feel instead of using faith to apprehend the fact that I have never been alone. Jesus is right there. But when my eyes are the Storm I forget that. When Paul said we walk by faith not by sight he was telling us not to put our eyes only on the physical world around us but to choose to have faith.
Faith is a choice. It is a humbling thing. Because we have to believe in someone we cannot see. We can see the moon and stars suspended in space by his power but we can’t see Him. We have faith that there is such a thing as oxygen and gravity as we see their effects. But when we see the beauty of the world around us it’s like we don’t want to admit He’s real. People say, “if there is a God why is there so much pain?” But could it be that there is another half to that question. “If there is no God, why is there so much good?” Because as Helen Keller, born blind and deaf, said: “Although the world is full of suffering, it's full also of the overcoming of it.” Helen had faith in a God she couldn’t see or hear because she was accessing the latent sense of faith. Perhaps for Helen it was easier for her to exercise faith because she was blind and deaf. I know it isn’t easy. But it isn’t easy to climb a mountain either. It takes effort. I think in the same way it takes effort to exercise faith. Exercising faith is the same as exercising any other muscle. Use it or lose it. Strengthen it or it atrophies. To have faith is to choose to do something we naturally do not want to do. To push ourselves to focus on the invisible. One thing I have found is that people who exercise faith in an invisible Saviour become invincible people. They know that they storm of loss and cancer and pain does not mean that Jesus isn’t with them. In Christ we know that His resurrection power and eternal wisdom can be trusted in the storm and even if the storm tears us apart He will put us back together—because He was torn apart for you and me. Jesus says:
If your eyes are on the storm
Then you’ll wonder if I love you still
But if your eyes are on the cross
Then you’ll know I always have
And I always will*
He is the overcomer—and he can help you and me overcome this storm—whatever it is. I don’t have to be afraid and neither do you. Jesus is the same yesterday and forever.
So when He asks me why I am afraid I will be reminded by the question that I need to choose faith. It is hard—it is humbling to admit I can’t handle it myself—it is a stretch. But we can do it. Jesus is there. When I look at all the good in my life that surrounds the bad stuff, I choose faith. He is the only hope we have. And even the wind and the waves obey Him.
‘Nuff said.
*Mark Hall/Casting Crowns
The Storm comes and goes like it always does. And then he asks me a question. “Why are you afraid? Could it be that you don’t have any faith?” And therein lies the rub. I have been living on how I feel instead of using faith to apprehend the fact that I have never been alone. Jesus is right there. But when my eyes are the Storm I forget that. When Paul said we walk by faith not by sight he was telling us not to put our eyes only on the physical world around us but to choose to have faith.
Faith is a choice. It is a humbling thing. Because we have to believe in someone we cannot see. We can see the moon and stars suspended in space by his power but we can’t see Him. We have faith that there is such a thing as oxygen and gravity as we see their effects. But when we see the beauty of the world around us it’s like we don’t want to admit He’s real. People say, “if there is a God why is there so much pain?” But could it be that there is another half to that question. “If there is no God, why is there so much good?” Because as Helen Keller, born blind and deaf, said: “Although the world is full of suffering, it's full also of the overcoming of it.” Helen had faith in a God she couldn’t see or hear because she was accessing the latent sense of faith. Perhaps for Helen it was easier for her to exercise faith because she was blind and deaf. I know it isn’t easy. But it isn’t easy to climb a mountain either. It takes effort. I think in the same way it takes effort to exercise faith. Exercising faith is the same as exercising any other muscle. Use it or lose it. Strengthen it or it atrophies. To have faith is to choose to do something we naturally do not want to do. To push ourselves to focus on the invisible. One thing I have found is that people who exercise faith in an invisible Saviour become invincible people. They know that they storm of loss and cancer and pain does not mean that Jesus isn’t with them. In Christ we know that His resurrection power and eternal wisdom can be trusted in the storm and even if the storm tears us apart He will put us back together—because He was torn apart for you and me. Jesus says:
If your eyes are on the storm
Then you’ll wonder if I love you still
But if your eyes are on the cross
Then you’ll know I always have
And I always will*
He is the overcomer—and he can help you and me overcome this storm—whatever it is. I don’t have to be afraid and neither do you. Jesus is the same yesterday and forever.
So when He asks me why I am afraid I will be reminded by the question that I need to choose faith. It is hard—it is humbling to admit I can’t handle it myself—it is a stretch. But we can do it. Jesus is there. When I look at all the good in my life that surrounds the bad stuff, I choose faith. He is the only hope we have. And even the wind and the waves obey Him.
‘Nuff said.
*Mark Hall/Casting Crowns
