Read Mark 6:48-51. This is where Jesus sends His disciples in a boat ahead of Him to Bethsaida while He goes to the hills to pray. At four in the morning, they saw Jesus walking on the water and thought He was a ghost. “He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them.” Jesus was about to pass by them, and when they cried out, so He immediately spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Jesus climbed into the boat with them and the wind died down. He dissolved the scary situation, by HIS presence. I, too, have been like the disciples “straining at the oars” -- paddling against the wind with all my might…and all my small powers, trying to overcome the hardships of life on my own. It is exhausting and futile. The Lord is a gentleman, walking by my boat as I working up quite a sweat trying to do it all in our own power and strength. All the while He is waiting for me to cry out to Him and invite Him into our boat, our circumstances. Thank goodness the episodes of how long I strain against the oars are getting smaller.
Brennan Manning wrote in his book, The Ragamuffin Gospel, that Jesus says, “I am with you. I am for you. I am in you.” This is the key to not straining against the oars in our own power.
He is with me – “He will never leave nor forsake us” (Joshua 1:5).
He is for me – “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).
He is in me – “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).
We need to rest in the truth of His incredible love for us: I am with you. I am for you. I am in you.
So… that’s when the Lord got in the boat with me. I put the oars down and He calmed the storm around me. Resting in HIS power…resting in HIS character. …resting in His love.
Dirk, our schnoodle (Schnauzer poodle) has gotten thorns in his paws before. He limps into the house and I try to get him to lie down so I can extract the offender. He, being a dog, sometimes growls or lifts his lip to show his displeasure while I try to convince him to “cooperate so you will feel so much better”. I can’t always convey that I am trying to help and want to take off what pains him, even though the “taking off” of the thorn will hurt more,…even though just for a moment. I try to keep this picture in mind when I feel I have a thorn in my paw. I have learned that I can NOT fix me…or anyone else. All I can do is take them to Jesus, the one that heals, while I remember that He is the one that is with me, for me, and in me.
Comments
Post a Comment