Finding Rest (Even in a Storm)

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I have known rest and I have known storms. I prefer rest – especially at this season of my life. I prefer quiet, peaceful waters that allow “my boat” to just coast along. Sure, my boat may encounter a an underwater boulder or two, but that boulder is just an easy bump that didn’t take me off course. But, when the winds and the waves come – I really want to dock my boat and head in to a haven of rest.

We were a family that camped out at lakes – a lot – in tents, in cabins, and at one time, we even had a 30-ft Winnebago. When our children were barely walking – we’d be in the great outdoors. We loved waking up in the mornings to that yummy smell of bacon cooking on an open fire or even indoors when we were staying at the lake. I'm smelling it now! We loved the sounds of birds chirping and seeing fish jumping on the waters. But, it seemed we were attractors of tornadoes. I can’t begin to tell you how many times that we had to quickly pull in all of our camping equipment because the winds starting blowing harder and harder, and the clouds got darker and darker. We became quite familiar with the potential for a tornado being on its way. We were adventurers and we’d just pull up stakes, find a place of safety, until the storm passed over.

Jesus and His disciples spent a lot of time at and on the lake/river/sea, too. And, they also encountered a lot of storms: Matthew 8:23-27 says "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!"

In verse 25, the disciples screamed, "Lord, save us!" and they revealed the identity of Jesus in their lives. This wasn’t the first time they’d seen Him calm the storms on the waters AND the storms in people’s lives. They had seen Him as the Lord and Master over storms and even in their unbelief. Their words revealed they believed in Jesus as Lord, but their worry exposed their lack of trust in Him. It's a situation we can probably all relate to. It's easy to say things like "God is in control" while silently drowning in doubt and despair.

Perhaps you have encountered some storms in your life. You may have even taken a step of faith and expected it to result in things getting easier, not harder. But God doesn't always lead us beside still waters. Instead, He guarantees His presence through whatever storms we may face. Trusting Jesus as the Lord of our life is something we can do in a single moment, but living it out and learning to trust daily is a process. While we may not know what our future holds, today we can rest in the fact that we are known by the One who holds it. As we continue to conquer each storm, we become more and more aware that it is Jesus on board our boat that gives us the confidence and assurance to brave the storm and embrace the peace.

When You Pass Through the Waters, I Will Be With You

I showed this map of the Sea of Galilee and the places of many of Jesus' miracles to my kids when I was sharing with them about my recent trip to Israel.

The question most of our tour group had was how could there ever be such winds and waves in this small body of water that could cause such fear in those who were sailing from one side to the other? Our guide told us that there have been waves that exceeded eight stories on those waters. No wonder the disciples were concerned for their lives.

Over the years, our family has enjoyed every water feature you could imagine. We frequented lakes and rivers all over the U.S. and Canada where we camped, sailed, fished, river rafted, canoed, and kayaked, and there are no adequate words to convey about the majestic oceans and seas that we cruised.

I recall my Sweetheart sitting back, delighting in the stillness and beauty of those moments in all of those water places. He loved taking it all in. He was "home" by the water. I'm quite sure he's made sure that our mansion in heaven is right by the River of Life.

What if life was like living by a pond or lake? A lake can represent stability and tranquility. A lake doesn’t change much from year to year. With the exception of a severe storm (we were at the lake on plenty of occasions when a tornado was coming through), a lake is a secure place with clear boundaries, stable waters, and a quiet shore. There is a sense of order, control, and safe predictability about a lake, with few major surprises from day to day.

I have found life to be more like traveling down a river. It's extremely unpredictable and filled with many twists and turns, highs and lows, rapids and calms, unseen obstacles and unexpected objects that go drifting by. But, it can also be filled with exhilarating experiences that are packed full of adventure. You can ride the currents of a fast flowing river in a raft or kayak, but you have to avoid the potential dangers which can be devastating to a rider. We know that for a fact – when, one time, our kayaks tipped over and we were pulled into the rapids, and but for the grace of God, could have lost our lives. Our kayaks went on down the river….without us in them. Thank God, we had on life preservers.

As we journey on, we want life to be safe and secure for us and our loved ones, like that lake with borders -- no big changes or surprises. But, in reality, life is more like a river as it is continually moving in ways that we cannot control, predict, or expect.

The good news for us is that our security, stability, AND sanity are not found on the rivers of our lives, but in the Lord of of our lives. Our hope is in Him who knows the way through the obstacles and the twists and turns. Our peace is found in the One who directs our course. Our hope is fixed upon the One whose hands not only created the waters, but calms them, and He is THE ONE Who causes the unpredictability of the waters to work things together for our good.

Isaiah 43:2 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you....."