I‘ve pondered for a while that night in the boat, when the disciples were so afraid of the wind and the waves and Jesus was asleep on a cushion. That was the time they woke Him up, shouting,

“TEACHERRRRR! AHHHHH! DON’T YOU CARE THAT WE’RE GONNA DROWN?!?! ARGHHHH!”

Least it went something like that. Maybe if they were Pirates.

{I imagine that if the disciples were teenagers it would’ve been more like:

“Uh, Rabbi… DUDE! OMG! We are NOT ROTFL back here. OMG! Don’t you, like, care? OMG! HELLLLLP! K THANKS.”

And if Jesus was a present-day teenager He might’ve replied:

“OM-Me. Whatever dudes. Why are you such pansies? Do you have, like, no faith? Fo rizzle. I’ve got this under control. A’ight, waves, chillax. K thanks. Wind, TTFN. See, dudes? Sweet n breezay. “}

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Swiftly getting back to the real version…

Jesus’ response to the disciples always seemed a little harsh to me:

“Why are you sissies afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

Okay maybe He skipped the sissies part.

But I’m guessing there were some serious waves, and there was some serious wind, to scare the pants off a group that included some seasoned fishermen.

{By the way this story is in Mark 4, in case you don’t like my version.}

Those brothers were scared. Fo rizzle.

This crazy little thing called life has presented me with some scary possibilities. And, even recently, I’ve just plain been afraid.

Weak-willed and worried — and maybe even losing sleep but I think the baby is mostly to blame for that.

But when I remember the God who hasn’t let me down yet — the One who has always been there, always demonstrated His love — I realize why fear is an amateur response to the scary stuff.

The disciples were right in bringing their concern to Jesus — there is never anything we shouldn’t bring to Him.

But where they were off beat was in questioning Jesus’ care and concern for them because they were experiencing hardship.

We’ve all been promised trials and tribulations. But we’ve also been promised the peace that will carry us through — the walking-through-that-shadowy-valley-with-my-head-held-high, fearless kind of peace that surpasses all understanding.

But when it’s hard, it’s hard not to ask: Don’t you care, God?

That seems like a familiar response in my own heart when the storms are raging with high seas and my little soul-boat feels tossed about.

But His Word reminds me what Paul and Barnabas told the believers in the early church:

“We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22, NKJV)

And I remember His sovereignty over all:

Does disaster come to a city unless the Lord has planned it? (Amos 3:6b, NLT)

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies have sworn this oath: “It will all happen as I have planned. It will all be as I decided.” (Isaiah 14:24)

So how do we rightly respond, when the waves are high, when the ship is tossed, when we are afraid and have no idea how it is all-gonna-be-otay?

Job said, “The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:20, NLT)

Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” (Luke 1:38)

The Key Word that ties it all together? Trust.

Right now, I am remembering these words, holding onto them, savoring them like a quality slice of key lime pie:

“The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand.” {Psalm 37: 23 & 24, NLT}

{Doesn’t that taste good?}

Even when the wind is blowing a hoolie and the waves are crashing over your soul-boat’s bow, the Lord, the Lord — He is faithful, and absolutely worthy of trust.

I am preaching these words to me today — just thought I’d share them with you, too.

xCC


P.S. Have you had a chance to Come Outta the Closet yet? Please won’t you click over to my last post and answer a few brief questions for me? Preez with brown sugar and bacon on top?