My mind is filled with memories From the days and miles, I’ve run Like aging stacks of photographs Of people loved now gone
And yet each dawn comes once again A song of hope and grace That tells me I have one more lap To finish in This race
And sings mysterious melodies In rhythms still to learn That teach my feet to keep in step Along His path to home
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, Hebrews 12:1 ESV
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. Matthew 6:9-13 KJV
Jesus told us again and again that the kingdom of Heaven was real and at hand. But if we want Him to really show us about Heaven coming to earth, then we need to slow down and think about the words that we pray. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us that prayer isn’t a race; it is a conversation with a real God. So, if we want God to be real with us, then we must be real with Him. In this simple prayer, Jesus teaches us that we must begin by real worship, before we ask for real needs and then repent and confess real sins as we really forgive people who really hurt us. Lastly, He tells us that we must never go out and about our affairs, until we ask God for His real protection from the real hardships and dangers that we will face. God is really there; He is really listening, and He will really answer when we really pray the way Jesus taught that we really should!
And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Mark 4:37-38 NKJV
Usually, we come to this portion of scripture and race ahead to the end where Jesus marvelously stands up and orders the winds and waves to be calm. But there was another miracle taking place, even before that. In the middle of all the panic, waves and wind, Jesus actually fell asleep! Let’s try for a moment to imagine that scene from the perspective of the disciples as they feverously worked to keep the ship afloat, while shouting to one other over the wind:
“Row harder John!”
“Leave me alone Peter. You just keep bailing!”
“Matthew! What are you doing? This isn’t a tax collector’s booth. Grab an oar and help out!”
“James, since you aren’t doing anything else, won’t you at least go wake up Jesus? Maybe He knows what to do!”
All the while as they struggled, and in spite of the waves that were washing over the side of the boat, Jesus slept soundly on a pillow in the stern. Some have presumed that Jesus was just pretending to sleep, but the Bible makes no such statement. After a long day of preaching, praying for thousands of people, and then walking miles down to the boat Jesus was just flat out exhausted. But neither the demands of HIs ministry nor the immediate commotion around Him in the storm, caused Him to miss the opportunity to rest.
Maybe some of us have problems with our relationships, our jobs, and even our health because we miss the opportunities that God gives us to rest. We don’t have to wait for vacation time, some religious event or the weekend to rest. We don’t have to row harder, bail faster or run around in a panic. God’s peace is just as available to us right where we are, as it was for Jesus in the storm. When we can fully trust God’s control over every problem that we face, then we can rest in Him. He knows what to do. He won’t let our boat go down. His plan will be completed in His way. He is the Master of our seas. Winds and waves still obey His will, and His love still lifts us up so that we can rest in Him!
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