I arise today Through God's strength to pilot me: God's might to uphold me, God's wisdom to guide me, God's eye to look before me, God's ear to hear me, God's word to speak for me, God's hand to guard me, God's way to lie before me, God's shield to protect me, God's host to save me From snares of devils, From temptations of vices, From everyone who shall wish me ill, Afar and anear, Alone and in multitude. Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me. (A Prayer of St. Patrick)
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Sermon: (Please read Psalm 46 & Mark 4: 35-41)
My dear friends, there is no sweeter truth for the Christian soul than this: “For God so loved the world that he gave His one-and-only-Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
HE WILL NOT LET YOU PERISH:
The evening approached. Great waves began pounding against the boat and the fragile craft was in danger of being engulfed. Somehow Jesus manages to sleep through this shuddering storm. Here they are in the boat; doing exactly what the Master called them to do. Now they’re in dire straits, in mortal peril. Aside from their obvious/understandable fear, these men are angry with Jesus: where’s the Lord? He’s asleep!
“Teacher, don’t you care that we are dying?” (Mark 4:38). They accuse Him. ‘Just when we need him most, He’s sleeping on the job!’
A lot of people think God (if there is a God) is asleep in the stern. ‘We’re suffering. He doesn’t care. Why is God letting this happen to me?’ In a moment of crisis our faith in God hits the rocks. Our faith fails. A great gap between us (the disciples) and the Lord is quickly created. And something else fills that gap: the enemy. Our prayers dry up. Satan loves it. We forget to talk to Him, to cry to Him. When we think the Lord doesn’t care; when we seek other ports of call in the storm, our enemy is delighted because we are doing his job for him!
When the storm comes our minds become filled with anything but God.
Did they ask, “Teacher we need some help here, we’re scared; we know you can calm this storm; we know you can save us.” No! What they did was accuse Jesus of not caring. Don’t we see ourselves in these beleaguered men? I do, sometimes…
No. The disciples aren’t sure—they don’t believe—that Jesus can save them. So, what happens? Does Jesus rebuke them? No, Jesus calms the storm. “Peace. Be still!” he says. “Peace. Be still!” But there are six more words that are implied but not spoken here, “Peace. Be still. . . and know that I AM God!”
Jesus doesn’t have to speak those six extra words, because what happens is no mere miracle, no mere exorcism, no mere healing, no mere magic trick—what happens is a sign. At his command, the winds calm; the waves settle; the storm passes. The calming of the storm is a sign pointing right back at Jesus. “Know that I AM God.” He doesn’t have to say the words; the silence of the calming storm screams the words.
But then again, we know the end of the story; the disciples do not. We know that Jesus is the Son of God. The disciples do not. You’d think that after a sign like this, there would be no room for doubt. But listen again to the end of this lesson:
“They were greatly afraid, and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?'”(Mark 4:41).
Is it any wonder that Jesus is frustrated with the disciples? After all that, they still say to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
We might want to give them a good shaking for their forgetfulness, their lack of faith, their misunderstanding…
But we shouldn’t do that - Mark’s Gospel is a mirror into which we have to look. And what we see looking back is ourselves. So, if we point a finger of condemnation or even of criticism at the disciples for their lack of understanding; we’re pointing right back at ourselves…
In the winter of 1835 the Wesley brothers, Charles and John set sail from England to Georgia. John wanted to preach to the Indians and lead them to Christ. A sudden storm shattered the ship’s main mast and the Englishmen wept and begged for their lives. A group of Moravian Christians prayed calmly and sang hymns throughout. John Wesley survived to tell the tale and was so impressed by their faith in the face of such a life-threatening storm that he became convinced they had something he didn’t and admitted in his journal:
“It was then that I realised that mine was a dry-land, fair-weather faith.”
We ARE those disciples in the boat. We ARE those disciples when we demand, “Where is God when awful things happen in our lives.” WHERE IS GOD? God’s right there in the boat with us.
God’s right there in the midst of all the suffering…
And He will go to the cross and do the suffering there in our stead – where he defeated the virus of sin and death and hell…
Storms threaten to sink our faith. These are not every day inconveniences like a flat tire or a cancelled holiday. These are the difficulties that cause us to question God’s goodness. Prolonged illness, the death of a loved one, a loss of purpose, a marriage is destroyed, a worldwide pandemic - and it seems like God is asleep. If he really cared, if he really understood, then surely he would stop this from happening. We pray for healing and relief, for opportunity, for reconciliation, for anything that will make the storm pass.
Fred tried to ride out a flood in his home. As the water reached higher, Fred climbed the steps to the second floor. Looking out of his window, he saw his neighbour paddle up in a canoe. The neighbour shouted, “C’mon Fred, climb in and I’ll get you to dry land.” Fred waved his neighbour off and said, “How could God let this happen, why doesn’t he save me?” The water continued to rise, and Fred climbed to the roof of his house. Pretty soon, a helicopter flew up to his house and the pilot offered to pull Fred in.” Fred waved the helicopter off, and muttered, “How could God let this happen, why doesn’t he save me?” The water continued to rise and Fred drowned unfortunately…
When he got to heaven, he said to God, “How could you let this happen; why didn’t you save me?” And you know what God said? God looked at Fred and said, “Look Fred, I sent a canoe to you, and I sent a helicopter to you. Why didn’t you trust me enough to get in?”
The storm is where you meet your God…It is in adversity, when we come to the end of ourselves, that we see the power of God in our lives. Holocaust survivor Corrie Ten Boom said, “There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still.” How often the God shows up in those who help us, care for us and love us!
The truth is, the fact is, we will all die one day. We may not be saved from our circumstances; we may not be saved from disease but we will be saved in them and through them. We will get to the other side of the lake! God rides in the boat with us.
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. (2 Corinthians 4:16-17)
If we have accepted Christ into our lives – if we die in Him - then God has already saved us. God is right here with us. God is right by our side—not just when things are good or when things are bad, in the storms - God is right by our side all the time.
Don’t wonder why God isn’t doing something about the bad things that happen. Don’t accuse God of not caring. Just ask, and then listen and He can be heard saying, “Be at peace. Be silent . . . and know that I AM God.”
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you…” (1 Peter 5:6-7)
“Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
HE WILL NOT LET YOU PERISH!
God is in the boat. He is steering the craft. He doesn’t make mistakes. He knows what He’s doing. Believe in Him, Be still and know that He is God! He is in the boat with us!
MFR 19-04-20
YOU ARE THERE
When my heart cries out in pain You Are There. When the tears flow again You Are There. When I feel I can't go on And I'm feeling all alone, When ther's no one on the phone, You Are There. When my prayers are short and cold, You Are There. When my praise is dead, oh Lord You Are There. When I cannot hear Your voice, And I stay away by choice, When I feel I can't rejoice. You Are There. Even when my voice is still You Are There. When I do not seek Your will You Are There. When I cry "Why me, why this What's Your plan in all of this, Why does this hurt persist You Are There. Through the times of doubt and fear, You Are There. When I question if You hear You Are There. You never turn away, By my side You closely stay, Then once again I start to pray, And You Are There.
Even though I can't see clear, I must trust and persevere, Through it all You'r very near. You Are There. Isaiah 41v10, 46v4, Psalm 55v22.