Faith Over Fear

I was a greeter at my church last weekend. Arrayed in my mask in keeping with CDC guidelines, as well as six-feet social distancing, I was game-on! I love being a greeter, from my own experience of being greeted by a friendly face. It’s heart-warming to notice being noticed. At my church, which holds 1,200 people, we are at 50% -- following all the rules with an empty pew between pews and at least six-feet apart in the pews. I’m still trying to get used to the masks – especially when my breath fogs up my glasses. 🤓

I amused myself in between greeting people to take a look at our weekend bulletin. The title on the front of it was “Faith Over Fear”. I stopped in my tracks. “Faith Over Fear” is the caption on my black face mask. I think: “God, you are doing your best to get us, ME, to get that message, aren’t You?”

Of course He is. Our Gospel reading that weekend, was about the storm – the winds and the waves -- that increased in hostility to the boat that was carrying the disciples to the other side of the sea. Jesus was exhausted after feeding the 5,000+, but He couldn’t help but notice them struggling from His peaceful place on the mountain. I have a clear visual of this scene because of my trip to Israel and on my favorite place -- the Sea of Galilee. It still amazes me that that relatively small body of water could blow up such a storm – but it did that day. Jesus walked to them on water and the disciples thought He was a ghost. But, like He said time and again – through the angels who said at His birth “Do not be afraid” and to His Mother when Gabriel appeared to tell her she would be overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and bear a son, “Do not be afraid” and to us today and every day: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” -- Matthew 14:27

He is our same Lord and Savior today Who sees us -- right where we are and He knows our fears, concerns and anxieties. He speaks to us the same words of reassurance and hope that He spoke to His followers: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." May we rest in His promise that He is with us and will faithfully take us through the storms and to the other side.

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.

At Least He Got Out of the Boat!

I was inspired by my "anchor" blog yesterday enough to give me "meat" for my blog today. Here comes Jesus walking on the water. He calls Peter to come to Him, so in a bold, audacious step of faith, Peter got out of the boat and started walking on water. He didn't hesitate. He took a leap, rather a walk, of faith. But when he took his eyes off of Jesus, he started sinking. Jesus saved the day for him and picked him up. (Matthew 14:22-33). Way to go, Peter! Way to save, Jesus!

I’ve heard many messages and sermons on Peter’s lack of faith. But, I started thinking, at least he had the faith to get out of the boat. After all, the other disciples just sat there in their fear. We shouldn’t criticize Peter for sinking. If only he would have kept his eyes on Jesus – the story would be one of great faith! Our story would be one of great faith, too, if we would keep OUR eyes on Jesus and not on our circumstances.

I am sure the boat squatters thought Peter was un poco loco for what he did. They were huddled, yearning to be free, and not trusting in Jesus like Peter did. I'm not saying those men didn’t have faith. Just saying they didn’t have enough faith to step out of the boat. Just the same, we cannot say anything to Peter because too often we are not getting out of the boat either! No matter the storm or situation we are faced with, it's up to us to get out of the boat and trust Jesus!

You know the deal -- when we stretch our faith, and go for it: "Yes, we're buying a house" or "Yes, we're going to start our family" or "Yes, we are going to adopt" or "Yes, I'm accepting the job offer even though the pay is less. It's what I love to do" or "Yes, I will run a marathon" or "Yes, I will start a Bible Study in my home" or "Yes, I'm quitting smoking" or "Yes, we're moving!" It's all about TRUSTING God to hold us up, when we stretch our faith to "walk on water"!

It's that first step that holds so many of us back. But, it's time for us to get out of our comfort zone. Sometimes God shakes things up around us to make us so uncomfortable that we will strive to move from where we are, to the next level of our destiny. And, those adversities we are facing? God could be allowing them to push us out of the boat and into the deep, so He can bless us with a new level of faith, maturity and blessings! It's time to live with "no regrets" and for us to learn to let go of our fears and insecurities, and to reach out for life at its fullest. Even if we fall, as Peter did, there will always be SOMEONE to reach out and help us get our balance again! And, by the way, our Lifeguard DOES walk on water -- so no need to worry or fret!