Historic Faithfulness
OPENING PRAYER:
Jesus, thank you for your example to your Church. Help me remember to seek you.
READ: PSALM 37:39-40 (NIV)
The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him. PSALM 37:39-40 (NIV)
REFLECT:
We are living in the midst of turmoil and a plethora of unknowns. It is quick and easy to feel overwhelmed and even afraid of what’s happening in the world around us, but God calls us not to fear.
In Matthew 8:23-27, we see Jesus asleep on the boat with his disciples. They are in the middle of the lake and a scary storm has moved in. The disciples are understandably nervous and get frustrated with Jesus. They can’t believe how he can sleep through this turmoil.
Jesus wakes up and calms the storm, while calling them out on their lack of faith.
He wasn’t asleep out of ignorance or indifference. He was asleep because he knew the rest of the story and refused to let fear grab hold of him.
We are reminded over and over about God’s faithfulness and power. We see it play out in our own lives. Yet, in the middle of the storms, it’s easy to lose sight of our stronghold. God tells us not to let our circumstances overwhelm us or steal our attention from him, yet we still let it happen.
APPLY:
Let us remember that God sees the whole picture, even when we can’t. God’s historic faithfulness reassures us that we don’t have to be intimidated by our circumstances. We don’t have to fear that we’ve lost our footing. We don’t have to be nervous about lack of progress. Jesus reminds us that to get to the other side of the lake, we have to cling to God as the calm in the storm.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Jesus, in the midst of the storms of life, make yourself known. Remind me to cling to you as I work alongside others in your name.
WORSHIP: