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For the Days When It Feels Like Jesus Is Asleep - Encouragement for Today - July 17, 2019
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July 17, 2019
For the Days When It Feels Like Jesus Is Asleep |
“What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” Matthew 8:27b (NIV)
Sometimes on ordinary mornings, you can look up and find yourself in what feels like a tiny dinghy boat, surrounded by vast waters and a bleak sky. And those waters are choppy.
You get the kids off to school, and then you have to walk back into your house. Or your cubicle at work. Or that classroom. Or that appointment. And there are bumps waiting for you. There are people or headlines or medical tests or phone calls … that can make the water around you swell and sway and make you uneasy inside your little boat.
And on days like that, I’ve looked around and wondered where Jesus is. Where is He in the headlines, deadlines and in our own families? Where is He in our own aching bodies? Where is Jesus on the days when it feels as though He fell asleep on the job?
Have you ever thought that?
Have you turned on the news, or hung up the phone, or walked out of that meeting, or walked into that doctor’s office and wondered: What on earth is going on in my world today?
There are so many days I can’t make sense of this world He designed (and that we’ve broken). Sometimes my faith feels like too little putty to stuff the crack in the bottom of my leaking boat. The crack is too big, and my hands are too little, and my faith keeps letting the water seep in, no matter how desperately I work to plug the holes in what I believe.
Wake up, Jesus. Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!
I was saying these words in my head while getting ready for church last week. And then it hit me. The obvious. How did I miss it? I stood in front of the mirror with a brush in my hand when I remembered that of course, I’m not the first one.
Of course.
I’m not the first one to stand desperate in a “boat,” … desperately afraid of the storm, wondering why Jesus is asleep on the job.
Matthew 8:27b tells us the disciples endured the furious storm and asked: “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
Those first shaky disciples and I look out at the waves and the dark, angry clouds, and we’re so afraid of what’s coming. We want to control it or outrun it or survive it. But our faith is slipping through our fingers, and our boats are wobbly, and our Savior is asleep.
I stood in front of the mirror and made myself remember the story.
Jesus wasn’t asleep because He didn’t care. He was asleep because He wasn’t afraid.
This is the part where my throat starts to get choked up, and I put down the brush and just stare into space.
And I can see two strong hands cover mine as I scramble at the bottom of my leaky boat. Two hands cover mine and cover the leak, and then I’m not taking in water anymore; I’m standing on the dry ground of a wooden floor constructed by a trustworthy Carpenter.
I don’t have easy answers to the hard questions, whether they’re on the news, coming from the doctor, a teacher, your co-worker or a dear friend. I only have the hope of a hand in mine. The hand of this man, Jesus, who isn’t afraid, who can calm the storm inside of me, and who builds boats that don’t sink.
Dear Lord, thank You that we can trust You. Thank You that no matter how loudly the storm screams or how high the waves get, You are always only one word away from calming our worst fears and speaking peace into our shaking hearts. Please be very close today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
TRUTH FOR TODAY:
John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (NIV)
John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (NIV)
RELATED RESOURCES:
If you’re in the middle — of a season of doubt or just the hamster wheel of everyday life — you might enjoy Lisa-Jo Baker’s newest book, The Middle Matters: Why That (Extra)Ordinary Life Looks Really Good On You. When you pre-order this week, you’ll also receive a $10 gift card to shop at DaySpring.com. Click here to get your book and claim your gift card.
CONNECT:
Join Lisa-Jo every Wednesday for the Out of the Ordinary podcast, where she explores the surprising ways that cultivating ordinary life leads to extraordinary stories.
Enter to WIN your very own copy of The Middle Matters by Lisa-Jo Baker. In celebration of this book, Lisa’s publisher is giving away 5 copies! Enter to win by leaving a comment here. {We’ll randomly select 5 winners and notify each one in the comments section by Monday, July 22, 2019.}
REFLECT AND RESPOND:
Think back on a stormy season you’ve experienced or one that you’re in the middle of right now. How can faith in a God who calms storms help you navigate this time in your life?
© 2019 by Lisa-Jo Baker. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries thanks WaterBrook & Multnomah for their sponsorship of today’s devotion.
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