| "And when they were come into
the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and
worshiped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God"
(Matthew 14:32-33 AV).
There are many lessons to be learned from the incident
of Peter coming to Christ on the water in the middle of the storm. I think
it is significant that in this passage we see the disciples forget the
miracle, and the fear they had just moments before, and focus on the who,
not what of the Lord. This is what we must constantly remember, our Lord
is God, the Creator and Sustainer of all things, both visible and
invisible.
Life in many ways can be compared to a sea. As there is
no sea that does not at times experience a storm, so it is with life. The
pop-psychology of the day points the finger at the past, and places the
blame for human condition upon parent or circumstance from some bygone
day.
There is enough truth here until even the church has
bought into the lie of Satan and attempts to explain away sin because of
the circumstance that forced the person into sin. This is especially true
for those who were abused as children, or faced other extreme and adverse
circumstances in their childhood. The fear of the child has been brought
forward into adult life.
I think most of us can remember being afraid as a child,
and seeking another person to sleep with, and then staying close to the
middle of the bed, because for some unknown reason we felt safer away from
the edge of the bed. For many this fear not only continued into adulthood,
it still controls their lives. It may not be readily identified by the
individual involved, but, in life they stay away from the edge, afraid to
reach out.
Just as Christ came to His disciples that dark night in
the middle of the storm, so He will come to you in your storms today. No
matter where these storms began, as a child or adult, the Lord Jesus
Christ is with you. It is natural for us to feel safer when in the
presence of another. It doesn’t seem to matter that the other is no more
able to help in the situation than the one who is afraid, the presence of
another brings comfort. Perhaps you know a mother who is literally
frightened to death to be alone, especially at night. Yet, add an infant
and all is clam, they can tolerate the dark, or isolation that comes from
being alone at night. Logic here will fail to provide the answer. We are
by nature creatures that were made to touch and be touched, to love and be
loved.
I share the following only with the clarification that I
am not speaking about eternal salvation, that was decided before the
foundation of the earth, in the eternal election by God. However I am
talking about the tangible presence of the Lord in your daily life, a feat
that is only possible by the elect of God. Christ is gentle and
undemanding. He will not thrust Himself into the forefront of your life.
In this respect you do invite Christ to not only be in your life, but to
control your life. The recognition of Christ as God, and worshiping Him
alone brings Him near in the storms in our lives. He is a very tangible
and real presence in the darkness of life. He cannot and will not ever
leave you alone, except for a season for your own good, that you might
know your constant need of Him both as Lord and Savior.
As believers we have a new life. The old person is as if
dead and we are a new creation. The Holy Spirit does dwell within our
hearts (Rom 5:5-8). The perfect love of God is made manifest to us. Here
is the real tool to forget the fears of the past, and face current life
victoriously. " There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth
out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect
in love" (1 John 4:18 AV). "...Perfect love casts out
fear." How fantastic that before the term psychologist existed, God
had provided the answer for these past fears, Jesus Christ, God’s
perfect love made flesh.
"Invite" Christ to openly dwell within your
heart, and be Lord of your life. The Lordship of Christ is as important
for daily living as the salvation of Christ is to eternal life. We can
have both. However, let us not forget that God only blesses that we might
be a blessing. Having learned this lesson, I think we are bound to share
it with another. Think about all the relationships in your life. Which
person you know is waiting for the invitation to walk with you through the
darkness they know as life? To whom is God asking you to tell the story of
His perfect love made flesh (visible)? It is crucial for this new life in
Christ that we learn and apply the biblical principle that God does not
bless except He would have us share the blessing with another.
With your hand in Christ’s hand, because God loves
you, you can dare to sleep alone on the edge of the bed without fear.
Because you are loved so completely (perfectly) you dare to love another.
In Christ you can live without fear, and the storms of life aren’t quite
as big, nor as fearsome as before. Because we obey Christ and share the
blessing, the life of another need not be lived in fear nor darkness.
Whom do you say Jesus Christ is? What is Jesus Christ to
you? How you answer these questions to a large extent will relate to how
fearful of storms you are.
By: Dr. Chuck Baynard
|
