Dear SCC & Friends,
…for your testing… ~1 Peter 4:12
Reflection #318
You don’t learn that Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have. ~Corrie Ten Boom~ Sometimes the Lord calms the storm and sometimes He calms us in the midst of the storm. Either way, storms are part of life and stretch our trust in God be they physical, emotional or spiritual. The disciples were experienced fishermen and well acquainted with sudden storms on the Sea of Galilee. The lake is 700 feet below sea level, surrounded by canyons and steep ravines, which can produce fierce winds and large waves in a matter of minutes… It was “just another day” to go over to the other side when they encountered “the mother of all storms”… The ferocity of the storm was so intense that no amount of “seamanship” or experience would do them any good… And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. ~Mk. 4:37 They were in full panic mode and thought they were about to drown… Where are you Lord? How could He be asleep on a cushion at the stern of the boat? They woke Him up… “Teacher, don’t you care we are perishing?” ~Selah!
Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. ~1 Peter 4:12 MSG It takes faith to believe that the Lord knows and cares about our circumstances especially in times of difficulty. Storms are tests and life lessons that are not to be wasted… They shape, reveal and redirect us on a path to maturity and fruitfulness… I was nine years old when our family sailed on a troop transport to Japan. I remember the first part of the 14-day voyage was calm and serene like canoeing on a mountain lake… Dolphins swam alongside the ship, and the huge keel made a beautiful wake as the surface of the water was like glass… Everyone is a captain on a calm sea. ~Anon.~ It would be only a day or so later that we sailed into a major typhoon. The bow of our ship plunged up and down, crashing through the giant swells and raging waves. People were seasick, holding onto the rails while everything not tied down was tossed about the cabins. It was chaotic, but like all storms it ran its coarse… How many storms has the Lord been faithful to bring you through? He did it before, and He’ll do it again… When you pass through the waters, I will be with you… ~Isa. 43:2a Keep up the good work!
Made for these days,
Kevin