He’s Right There

So many times we get very fixed on the thing in front of us.  We let what is going on around us cause us to fear.  Did you know that fearing circumstances and situations is a sin?  It shows a lack of faith in your heavenly Father’s ability to take care of you and the situation.

An example of how this irritates our Lord is in Matthew 9:26, Jesus says something to His disciples I would never want to hear from Him, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?”  What was He talking about?  A boat ride across a lake.  The disciples had recently witnessed, first hand, Jesus’ sermon on the mount, they watched as He healed a man of leprosy, they were surely amazed by the report of the Centurion's daughter who had been healed by his amazing faith, He even healed Peter’s mother-in-law.  All these things had transpired prior to boarding the boat to the other side of he lake.

Jesus was comfortable, the rocking of the water was probably very soothing.  Soon He was sleeping and as He slept a storm came in over the lake.  The disciples woke Him terrified of the storm, not focused on the fact that God in the flesh was sitting in the boat with them asleep or not.  If He wasn’t concerned about the storm, why were they?

This story truly parallels our own Christian walk.  How many times do we get distracted from our pursuit and relationship with God because of circumstances.  The winds and waves of life start to blow and toss our tiny vessel and we often quickly forget that God is in the boat with us, and He’s not concerned.  To worry or fret about these “outside” influence is a sin, because in essence you are saying that you believe that they are bigger and stronger than God is.  “You of little faith,” 

Faith requires that we hold fast to the promise that God has given us in the situation and forget about the elements.  Do you really think Jesus would have gotten into that boat if He had thought there was any chance they wouldn’t make it to the other side?  When we start to get upset He is asking us “Why are you afraid? Don’t you trust Me?”  Your fear is a way of saying that you don’t and perhaps you may not really believe He is who He says He is or can do what He says He can do.

In Psalms 66:12, a clear statement is made about how God deals with us and situations.  “You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but You brought us to a place of abundance.”  Sound familiar?  Been through some fire and water places recently?  Feel like men are riding over your heads?  That’s okay, because God will bring you to a place of abundance if you stand firm in Your faith in who He is and what He can do.

From Light for My Path – Prayers & Promises

All things are possible to him that believes  Mark 9:23

What an amazing promise this is, Lord!  I can hardly believe You wrote this to me.  You’ve opened so many doors to me, simply because I have faith in You.

I know that amazing promise doesn’t mean I can demand anything I want.  There are plenty of wrong things in this world – or things that would simply be wrong for me – that Your promise doesn’t automatically cover.  But You have given me an open door to all the good things You offer me, all the positive things that I can do, and all the challenges You want me to overcome.

When it comes to the things You say are right, I don’t want to think too small.  All things are possible to You.