Faith

He Hears

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I sought the Lord and He heard me and delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4

In my imagination I sometimes wonder just how soundly asleep Jesus really was during the storm at sea. I have thought that perhaps he was more aware of the circumstances than the disciples knew. Perhaps as He climbed into the boat that day He said something along the lines of: “Okay while you guys start rowing us across Galilee, I am going to take a nap. Then as He borrowed a pillow and went to sleep He was saying to himself, “I know what is coming next, I wonder how long it will be before they wake me up?”

photo of people on rowboat during sunset

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Then as the wind picked up and the sky darkened with storm clouds the disciples kept rowing as hard as they could. They didn’t want Jesus to have to worry about anything; after all they were all experienced fishermen. Then as the first wave or two sloshed over the side of the boat some may have begun to worry. Finally as wave after giant wave tossed the little boat up and down and it began to take on water panic took hold of their hearts.

 

“Master, carest thou not that we perish?” Mark 4:38b

 

Just like us, they had come to the place where they wondered if God even cared about their fears. But Jesus is in our boat, to be our Immanuel through any storm. He listened to the disciples. He listened to King David. He is listening to you.

If today you are facing your biggest fear God is with you in your boat. He is waiting for us to cry out like David, like the disciples and like countless generations of believers. He is with us and He hears!

Confessing Your Fears

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I sought the Lord and He heard me and delivered me from all my fears.  Psalm 34:4

A pastor of mine once had a job working on steel towers hundreds of feet tall. He talked with me one day about the process of training that men went through to be able to join the crew. One phrase that he often said was, “Any man who says he isn’t afraid is a liar!” I believe that King David would have agreed with my pastor. He didn’t try convincing God that he was courageous. David’s response to the fear that he felt was to cry out to the Lord. He knew that God already knew that he was terrified. He wasn’t trying to fool God or anyone else. David knew of only one place to go and that was to his knees! Like a child shouting for his father’s help David unhesitatingly cried to God. Just as you will never convince a child not to cry out when hurt, so we need to know that God is not putting us to the test to see how much pain we can withstand.

low angle view of electric post

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The entire mission of Jesus Christ while on earth was summed up in a single word, “Immanuel” He is God with us. He willing came to Bethlehem to be with us. He willingly was rejected by his own people, even at times by his own family so we would never have to be alone. Jesus knows the fact that we have lived all of our lives in fear of death. Jesus came to bring us life, not to tell us to keep a stiff upper lip. Admitting ours fears to God is nothing to be ashamed of; in fact it is our first step towards courage!

 

In Remembrance

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For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you; that the Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed took bread and when He had given thanks He broke it and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.                                           1 Corinthians 11:23-24 ESV

That night when Jesus sat down for the last supper it seemed that just about everything was going wrong. Judas had gone to the high priest to betray him. The Sanhedrin had decided to have Jesus put to death. The other eleven disciples were spending part of their time at the table arguing over which one of them was the most important. But in the presence of so much going wrong the Bible tells us that on that night when he was betrayed Jesus blessed and shared the bread and then the cup. Not one single detail of His plan was stopped.

In some ways this scene reminds me of what we are passing through now with the Corona virus snatching away from us innocent lives. And in the middle of our own time of testing if we look to the Lord and remember we will find a promise of a rejoicing in faith; hope in the face of any sufferings and most of all the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord even in the shadow of the cross.

KIMG0025

For those wishing to share in an online service that includes communion I invite you to join us today at 9 Am 11 AM and 5 PM Eastern Standard Time. We are Generations Christian Church of Trinity Florida and whether you live in our community of not we would be delighted to have you join us! You can either just click on the link below or look for us online at Generationscc.com  – God bless and have a wonderful Lord’s Day!

Generations Live Worship