"Jesus comes in the midst of the torrent."

A thought by Max Lucado from his book, You Are Never Alone (p. 60). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

We all have storms in our lives, don't we?

Max says, "No one gets through life scot-free. At one point or another the sky will darken, the winds will rage, and we will find ourselves in a modern-day version of the Galilean gusher."

John 6:16–18 (NIV) says, "When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough."

Max goes on, "The hearts of the followers began to sink as their boat was certain to do. Their skin was soaked, throats hoarse, eyes wide. They searched the sky for a break in the clouds. They gripped the boat for fear of the waves. They screamed their prayers for help. But they heard nothing.

"If only Jesus were with them in the boat. If only Jesus had told them to stay on the shore. But he was not in the boat, and he had told them to cross the water (Matt. 14:22). Consequently this moment had all the elements of a crisis."

Max later says, "Storms can dominate our lives as well. Just as we have no authority over the squalls of nature, we have no authority over the squalls of life. You may desire to save a marriage, but you have just one of two required votes. You may attempt to restore a rebellious child, but you can’t be sure you’ll succeed. You might pursue good health, but still face a pandemic. Storms overtake us. And it sometimes seems they will never end."

Maybe that is how you are feeling n the midst of your crisis.

He continues, "But then the unimaginable happens. 'They saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened' (John 6:19 NIV).

"The Bible narrative can move too quickly for our tastes. We want more description, more depiction, more explanation. This is one of those occasions. Hold on, John. Before you hurry into the next sentence, describe this moment. People don’t walk on water. They walk on rocks, dirt, and sand. But water? Was Jesus’ hair blown back? Was he ankle-deep? Was his robe wet? John gives no details, just this economical statement: “They saw Jesus . . . walking on the water."

Max then says, "That is all we need to know. Before Jesus stills the storms, he comes to us in the midst of our storms."

So, maybe we need to start looking for Him. Will you do that?

Yes, yes!

Comments

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