He asked me to pray for them. They were in trouble he said. He did not know what else to do. Please pray! A group of us prayed for him. Something changed in him. He had peace and a new strength to face what he needed to face. We had done nothing for him but prayed. God had calmed the raging storm in him.
Except. There is a story which describes the group of Christ followers, the small group were closest to Jesus, to be like you and me.
To understand the story, requires a quick study of the New Testament books, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John which record other stories about these men, describing them as experienced, strong fisherman,
who understood the sea.
It was their life.
It was what they did.
It was something they had and could do on their own without Jesus.
Until one night.
A storm came up on the Sea of Galilee.
A BIG storm, where the elements of nature, the sea, winds, and rain unite.
A storm that caused fear in men that had faced storms before.
Jesus was with them. He was their teacher, not a fisherman. And, Jesus was sleeping. But, it did not occur to them to wake Him up until
fear overcame them. Chaos. Yelling. Screaming.
Matthew describes the moment in his book:
Kerrie
(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The thing is . . . I often wonder . . . if we could see Jesus in the room . . . in the places of life that we go . . . would we be different?Can you imagine living, working, and being with Jesus when He walked the earth? From our perspective, it would seem that life would not be like it is for you and me. I mean close up being with Jesus each day? Seriously. Incredible. Fear would be gone. Faith would be strong. Nothing would be ordinary.
Except. There is a story which describes the group of Christ followers, the small group were closest to Jesus, to be like you and me.
To understand the story, requires a quick study of the New Testament books, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John which record other stories about these men, describing them as experienced, strong fisherman,
who understood the sea.
It was their life.
It was what they did.
It was something they had and could do on their own without Jesus.
Until one night.
A storm came up on the Sea of Galilee.
A BIG storm, where the elements of nature, the sea, winds, and rain unite.
A storm that caused fear in men that had faced storms before.
Jesus was with them. He was their teacher, not a fisherman. And, Jesus was sleeping. But, it did not occur to them to wake Him up until
fear overcame them. Chaos. Yelling. Screaming.
Matthew describes the moment in his book:
Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” (Matthew 8: 23-27, NIV).The men, who knew the sea, were amazed. Certainly they understood the power of living in the presence of Jesus beside them. They not only viewed the power of Jesus, but saw that Jesus would not let the storm win. It was a glimpse of the power that resurrected Christ from the cross and gives new life to those who invite Christ to live with them.
We are invited to live in the same presence and power that calmed the storm on the sea of Galilee. Step in and live in the presence of Jesus. Live with eyes of faith, as if you see Jesus right beside you. He is. Nothing will separate us from Him. Not even the biggest storm.Learning to Kickstart the day seeing Jesus by my side.
Kerrie
(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED