When Your Answers About Faith Bring More Questions Than Comfort

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples.  Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat.  But Jesus was sleeping.  The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us!  We’re going to drown!”  Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid?  You have so little faith!”  Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.  The disciples were amazed.  “Who is this man?” they asked.  “Even the winds and waves obey him!”  

Matthew 8:23-27

Among the disciples were fishermen like Peter, accustomed to storms, even the fierce ones.  They were familiar with violent storms which are not uncommon on the lake, as winds can rush in suddenly from the west or the east and generate waves over 10 feet high.[1]  If you fished the sea of Galilee, you learned not to stress over storms.  But this storm was more than enough to have the disciples wish they’d stayed ashore, or at least checked to see if their wills were up-to-date.  They thought they were on the brink of joining their buried ancestors. 

And there was their leader, Jesus, sleeping like a baby in the back of the boat.  What a time for a nap! 

Mark’s Gospel account showed how much this event overwhelmed him.  Normally Mark wrote just the facts…quick and to the point.  But of this Mark adds emphatic pathos, details of just how scared they were:

Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion.  The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”  Mark 4:38

From Matthew we get the sense of their faith – when they were at wits-end they went to the One they knew had answers.  From Mark, we get the sense of insecurity they had – did Jesus not care?  From both disciple’s accounts we see the answer…Jesus told the winds and 10-feet-high waves to HUSH!  And they did!  And Matthew records what that did to the disciples…Jesus’ answer brought more questions:  Who…and What…kind of man is this?

Perhaps you’ve been in that kind of situation.  You were in trouble, physically, emotionally, financially, or a relationship on the rocks.  You were drowning in some way, so you cried-out to God, and an answer showed up.  You were grateful for the rescue, but when the dust settled, all you could do was ruminate on the reasons why – why did this happen to you?  What – what was God thinking to put you through that?  When – when is life going to be normal?  How – how am I ever going to get to where I really want to be? 

It’s like the disciples experienced; Jesus had the answers, but they brought more questions than comfort.  They were uneasy enough to ask the question (what kind of man this is), but they did have that little spark of faith to row back to land, and put one foot in front of the other, and continue following Jesus. 

After the cross and resurrection, we find that faith grew into the power of God in their lives, which changed the course of history.  And being in the boat with the source of that power, on that night, with all nerves stretching their faith to the limit (and beyond), they knew it was real.

For You Today 

Today’s faith will be enough for today’s storms…as long as you stay in the boat with Jesus.  He’s a better weather-man than any you’ve seen on TV!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library. 

Title Image:  Pixabay.com   Images without citation are in public domain.  

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©  

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[1] Jesus’ Ministry in Galilee, Copyright © 2020 by David P. Barrett. 

Under His Wings

Thursday, September 22, 2022

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  This I declare about the Lord:  He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.  For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.  He will cover you with his feathers.  He will shelter you with his wings.  His faithful promises are your armor and protection.  Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day.  Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday.

The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.  I will protect those who trust in my name.  When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble.  I will rescue and honor them.  I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”  Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16

It is no wonder that, during difficult times, believers instinctively turn to the Psalms for comfort and assurance.  And, there are always difficult times; often it seems life is one long wrestling match with mountains.  If you’re not in a tough moment, you’ve just come out of one, and if you’ve been trouble-free for a good while, just hang-on, your old enemy will bring you a tempest soon enough!

The pure joy that floods my soul reading Psalm 91 is balm for whatever ails me.  Whether it is physical difficulties that the doctors can’t cure, financial shortfalls, a relationship on the rocks, or some spiritual malaise that has managed to worm its way into my life, and suck the joy right out of my bones, God’s assuring presence and power are just one surrendering-prayer from lifting me out of the depths.  It’s almost inexpressable how His Word cares for me.

The hymnwriters, no strangers when it comes to tough times, pen words and music that heal.  They’ve been, to my soul, master craftsmen of preaching God’s comfort and power through major and minor keys, meter, and rhyme.  One hymn that expresses so well the care God has for his children is Under His Wings.[1]

      Under His wings I am safely abiding;

Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,
Still I can trust Him--I know He will keep me,
He has redeemed me and I am His child.

Refrain:
Under His wings, under His wings,
Who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
Safely abide forever.

Under His wings, what a refuge in sorrow!
How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!
Often when earth has no balm for my healing,
There I find comfort, and there I am blessed. (Refrain)

Under His wings, O what precious enjoyment!
There will I hide till life’s trials are o’er;
Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me,
Resting in Jesus I’m safe evermore. (Refrain)

For You Today

Sheltered, protected, resting safe-evermore…nothing in this world can ever match that…and it’s free and assured in Christ Jesus for the child of God.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,000 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper on today’s topic, explore some of these: 

Under His Wings (2016) and "Mother" Nature

[1] Images:  via Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©  

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[1] Under His Wings, Text:  William O. Cushing,    Music:  Ira D. Sankey, The Hymnal for Worship & Celebration, (Waco, Texas, Word Music, 1986) #356

Looking to the LIGHT

 

Thursday, February 17, 2022

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love?  Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?  (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”)  No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.  And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love.  Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.  No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:35-39

Apostle Paul was convinced beyond the shadows of circumstance, that light was not gone, but was just getting started.  In the physical realm, the presence of shadows is only possible if there is light.  When light shines on something, a shadow must be on the other side.  This tells us we must look to the light if we are not to stumble in the darkness of the shadows. 

This analogy holds-up in the transfer from physical to metaphysical.  God is light, the essence of goodness and truth.  If we look away from God, we will be facing the darkness.  Paul declared that no force on earth, or in the heavens, can ever truly separate us from God, not demons, fears, nor even death.  But we can choose to look away from God, and the result is living in darkness. 

In the aftermath of two years’ grappling with COVID-19, and now OMICRON, and the associated darkening realities of life in the not-so-roaring 20’s, with resources reducing in an anemic economy resembling storm clouds, face coverings hiding smiles (if there are any), and social distancing pushing us further away from social fellowship, it is more difficult than ever to imagine there IS light to which we can look.  

Just as Darth Vader (the representative of evil in Star Wars) beckoned his estranged son, Luke Skywalker (representing naïve humankind) to follow him to the dark side, the dark times of 2022 would have us cave-in to our lower nature, becoming children of the shadows. 

These are dark times, indeed.  But Scripture constantly urges us to keep our focus on the light of God’s truth, because living in darkness is so much below what God has planned for us.  And that plan is for His love to have us walk in truth and light, the source of all hope, filled with glorious, inexpressible joy.[1]

For You Today

Christ declared that He is the light that came to dispel the darkness.  He taught us it would be an inside-job, a light that dwells within you, so you can reflect His glory.  So…look to the light, Christian.  No matter the circumstances, criticisms, or changes that come…turn-away from the shadows and look to the light of He who will lead you home to glory.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title and other images:  Pixabay.com    Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

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[1] See 1 Peter 1:8

When the Storm Rages

 

Friday, October 30, 2020

As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.”  So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed).  But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.  Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion.  The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”  When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence!  Be still!”  Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm.  Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid?  Do you still have no faith?”  Mark 4:35-40

It almost seems frightening to address the subject of plugging-in to God Almighty, and His power.  It’s one thing to talk about the awesome God Who created the universe and holds it all in the palm of His hand;[1] it’s quite another to contemplate standing near that kind of power, or have that powerful presence turning your life upside down.  Think Jesus, in the middle of your boat…the storm is raging…and Jesus caused it…and then He speaks to it and it hushes up.  I’ve been more comfortable around bare wires connected to a 220-volt line.

God's creative power is such that even the smallest thing takes on new significance when we consider His work.  Take bacteria, for instance.  Some bacteria divide every 20 minutes.  If just one of these microscopic blobs could get enough food, and dispose of its waste, it could, theoretically, in just 48 hours, grow to a size 4,000 times the size of Earth!  If God could put that kind of potential in a single bacteria cell, there isn’t anything we can imagine more powerful.

When Jesus came to the boat in that dark hour, when His disciples were struggling against the raging storm, He simply said, it is I, don’t be afraid.  Then he looked at the wind and said, Hush.  It takes power to do that!  And the words translated It is I, in the language of the ancient Scriptures, are ego emi, I AM.  Any questions about the source of that power? 

For You Today

In the midst of life's storms, go to God..He is your source, He is certain, He is secure, and He is willing to share with you, if you will pass it on to others.

He said so …and He did so!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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Title image: James Tissot, Brooklyn Museum via WikimediaComons   W   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©

For other posts on Mark 4 see:  Holy Mixtures - Part 3 and Listening to the Light

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[1] Isaiah 40:12 says that God, Creator measured off the heavens with the “span” (the width of a person’s palm)  Colossians 1:15-17 has Jesus as that Creator, holding it all together

 

Consider the Rock

 

Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Isaiah 51:1-3

“Listen to me, all who hope for deliverance—all who seek the Lord!  Consider the rock from which you were cut, the quarry from which you were mined.  Yes, think about Abraham, your ancestor, and Sarah, who gave birth to your nation.  Abraham was only one man when I called him.  But when I blessed him, he became a great nation.”  The Lord will comfort Israel again and have pity on her ruins.  Her desert will blossom like Eden, her barren wilderness like the garden of the Lord.  Joy and gladness will be found there.  Songs of thanksgiving will fill the air.

Remembering from whence we came is, at once, the greatest blessing and bane humans enjoy and endure.  When we recall our sinfulness, willful and self-destructive, we must endure its shame.  When we recall our humble entrance into this world, small, and totally dependant on the kindness of our parents, we gain the perspective of dust; lowly we began, and we are bound for it again.

God points out to the enslaved nation of Israel, losers in war and captives again, that both their sin and their Savior are attached together.  The God who used Israel’s enemy to awaken them to their sinful ways would also be their Savior, bringing greatness out of brokenness, once again.

This is a thought that occupies my mind and soul these days.  And not just for America; we are only a few days away from the July 4^th anniversary of our nation’s birthday, but this is not patriotic nationalism.  This is about humanity’s survival.

God’s promises are at least two things:

          1.     They are certain…what God promises, God brings to pass

          2.     They are misunderstood, and misrepresented…just turn on the TV and see the commercials during religious programming. 

Isaiah says God promises joy that will replace the ruins of a disgraced superpower.  In so-doing the prophet invites the beleagured nation to consider the rock from which they were cut; he holds up their humble beginnings for examination. 

It was to an old couples’ childless vacuum God promised an heir, the firstborn of a nation, to be numbered as the grains of sand on the beaches.  To Sarah, 90 years old, and her 100 year old husband, Abraham, there was given a birth, and beginning of fulfillment.  What was once the emptiness of no evidence of God’s promised blessing, is now breathing, cooing, nursing, and filling diapers in a geriatric couple’s tent.  Amazement, laughter, and joy have replaced sad resignation.  Singing and dancing are the new order of the day.  Humble beginnings in Abraham’s tent now shows the flower of spring in the garden of hope.

But, it also began a rough ride. 

Abraham’s family has known what every other family on earth has experienced, treachery, jealousy, hypocrisy, poverty, oppression, tears, joy, singing, parched times, and good.  And, eventually, the fruit of God’s promise came to a cradle in Bethlehem, born a child with no earthly father, but nonetheless a part of Abraham’s lineage.  This is the centerpiece of God’s creation, understood from before the foundation of the universe, that the promise of restoration is carved from the bedrock of Yahweh’s strength.

And, here we are, muddled in such deep and abstruse mysteries, such as whether or not to wear a face mask in WalMart.  And we have deep pain over the shortage of toilet paper.  And on, and on, ad nauseum.  We are drowning in the proverbial puddle of plague-concern at the moment, with all sense of normalcy on-hold, except for the incessant droning of the news channels counting the dead. 

All this…and it is substantial…is momentary.  God is forever; and we have been mined from His quarry, not some primordial pond of protoezoa.  We are made in His image, and, blurred and muddied as that image is in 2020, we remain the apple of His eye[1], His crown of creation[2], and as much as we might feel as depressed and forgotten as Abraham and Sarah, the promises of God never fail.

Let’s Pray Together:

Father, we are thankful that the promise of Your word will never return to You unaccomplished.  What You set out to do is already done.  Prime our faith to receive this truth, we pray, in the name of Your holy child, Jesus.

For You Today

If the “virus culture” of this moment has you a little (or a lot) depressed or bewildered, don’t let the mud puddle claim another victim; just lift your head to look at the rock from which you were cut!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road today.  Have a blessed day!

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Title Image:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©

For other posts on God’s Promises see After the Storm – Part 2 and Why God Got Some Ink

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[1] Zechariah 2:8

[2] Genesis 1:28

Making Sense in a Storm

[1]

Friday, October 4, 2019

Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong.  For like grass, they soon fade away.  Like spring flowers, they soon wither.  Trust in the Lord and do good.  Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.  Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.  Commit everything you do to the Lord.  Trust him, and he will help you.  He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.  Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.  Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.  Stop being angry!  Turn from your rage!  Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm.  For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.  Psalm 37:1-8[2]

I watched a TV show recently where a tsunami swept over the California coastline.  I’ve seen plenty of video and still shots of the damage such a storm can produce, but this dramatization staged everything to help the viewer experience the raw power and arbitrary selection of whose life to ruin.  It was memorable, which I’m certain was the director’s intention.  It got my attention, and for the next couple of days sleeping was more difficult.

As I reflect over the number of tsunami-like waves that have appeared in my lifetime and changed everything, it gets a little mind-staggering.   Vietnam, the assassination of President Kennedy, landing on the moon, fall of the Berlin wall…these (and many more) are epochal game changers. 

Another tsunami game changer was the 2015 Supreme Court decision allowing same-sex marriages, undercutting two thousand years of church teaching (not to mention 6 millennia of common sense!).  That 9-judge ruling set off a wave of celebration and anger across the continent.  I certainly didn’t (and still don’t) agree with the decision, but rather than fretting or anger, I’ve learned (along with the Psalmist) to trust God with what He’s doing, despite how unsettling it all seems.

One disclaimer here.  While I disagree with the court’s decision, and even the idea of homosexuality being good, or even normative, I also take my cue as to how to behave towards my fellow human beings from Scripture.  I call no person insignificant because of how they were born, or how they choose to act.  We are all God’s creatures.  On the other hand, naming sin, while loving the sinner, puts one in a precarious position.  It’s easy to be labeled a homophobe if you don’t agree with the LGBTQ++ agenda and, because of conscience, choose to come out of the quiet background about it.  The trick, as I see it, is to put away the anxiety over it, act with graciousness towards everyone, and remember how my sins are no less worrisome to God than those of anyone else!  Complex issues are just that, and you run the risk of being misunderstood if you try for simplistic “solutions”.  However, I don’t think you can do better than the simple loving principle the Psalmist lays down:  

Trust in the Lord and do good.  Psalm 37:3

In this case there are a lot of moving parts in human interaction when it comes to that last phrase, do good.  The list begins in the Psalm also:

Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.  Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.  Stop being angry!  Turn from your rage!  Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm.  Psalm 37:7-8

For You Today

It’s not wrong to speak up, but if you would do that, remember to be still in the presence of the Lord first…exercise patience without worry or anger.  If God gives you something to say there won’t be any room for self-righteousness.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

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[1] Title Image:  Pixabay.com    Unless noted, Scripture used from The New Living Translation©

[2] For another post on this text see:  Cleaning Up the Mess 2/27/19

Against the Tide

[i]

Friday, February 22, 2019

Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.  For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions.  These are not from the Father, but are from this world.  And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave.  But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.    1 John 2:15-17^(NLT)

It’s amazing how often things just seem to fall in place.  The first thing I do in the morning (after letting the dogs out to prevent a tragedy) is post the day’s devotion, on social media.  I had already begun considering what to write about on this text, and the first item in my Facebook news feed was an article posted by my next-door neighbor, Matt, who is a police sergeant, as well as worship music leader at his church.  The article quoted today’s verses and ended this way:

We must not dilute our message, ignore Bible principles, employ worship music that is dissonant, harsh, sensual and suggestive, or seek to make the church appealing to the appetites of ungodly people, even to reach them. The true gospel will never be attractive to the unsaved in general, nor will it ever make them feel comfortable. Paul declared, “The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness….” (1 Corinthians 1:18)[ii]

This is so appropriate for how today’s church attempts to hold the Gospel in worldly hands.  It reminds me of gift-wrapping a Jared’s ring in a garbage bag; the Gospel is too precious to be treated that lightly.  And yet, too many pastors and church leadership buy-into the trap of trying to present the Gospel in inoffensive, bland ways, when Scripture clearly states just the opposite.

The Gospel represents following Christ as swimming against the tide, not cruising down the river the way it wants to take you.  Discipleship is not about ease and getting what you want (as you’re liable to hear when you tune into the Texas smile hour on Sunday mornings).

Have you ever heard this phrase coming out of a parent’s mouth:  I want my kids to have it better than I did?  You may have said that yourself; I did!  But that’s because difficulty is just that…difficult, hard, adversity, struggle.  Any parent in his right mind knows it’s hard to watch your kid suffer.  But, if history is a teacher in any way, we must pay attention to the reality that the struggles of life are the best teachers.  That’s because in adversity we are strengthened.  Cut down a tree

[iii] and look closely at the rings; each one represents a year of growth.  They’re not all the same because the weather conditions, sun, rain, storms, soil, and diseases are so variable.  The hardest woods, used for the best construction and fine furniture, have faced more difficult circumstances than those growing under the best conditions.  Pain in a human life, as C.S. Lewis put it, is God’s megaphone, speaking in the loudest way, the most vitally-important life-changing words to our hearts.  Storms aren’t easy or welcome, but (again with C.S. Lewis), my God how we learn!

John, the beloved disciple, Apostle, and perhaps the closest to Jesus during His earthly ministry, said to be careful about the things that appeal to physical pleasure and pride in possessions or accomplishments; these things are not gifts from the Father in heaven…they’re temptations from the ruler of Hell.

For You Today

It’s hard to do that…push away from the physically-appealing, especially when every corner of this world’s system punches all the right buttons to make the good life of affluence, ease, and coolness seem like the brass ring to be grabbed! 

But this begs the question:  Whom you want to please?  Pleasing self with physical pleasure, possessions, and accomplishments will seem just great…for a while; but the end picture isn’t pretty.  Pleasing God by serving Christ in a surrender of self is what leads to eternity of joy, peace, and fulfillment.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

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[i] Title Image:  via Pixabay.com

[ii] Paul Alexander, Why We Don’t Have Contemporary Music In our Church

[iii] Tree image via Pixabay.com