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While the Bible was written thousands of years ago, it continues to amaze me, especially in the stories it tells. The stories told are proof that the more things change, the more they stay the same. It’s humbling to realize that after all these years the human race is no closer to figuring out how to treat each other. The result is a sense of fear, frustration and hopelessness.
It’s easy to say ‘I believe in God. He is my hope’ but for many of us, at least for me, it’s much easier to put my hope in God when my checkbook is okay, my kids behave, and I haven’t done something stupid to cause friction in the family!
When prayers go unanswered; when there’s more month at the end of the money; when the doctors report is ominous; when the police are knocking on the door, it’s a little more difficult to follow the Apostle’s advice to ‘count it all joy when we encounter various trials.’
No where is this better illustrated than by Mark in the Gospel bearing his name. A discouraged father reaches the end of his rope. He most likely hasn’t had a good night’s sleep since his son began to have seizures that attempted to kill him with fire or drowning.
In an act of desperation he seeks out Jesus (Even back then it was incredibly hard for a guy to ask for help). The story gets worse. When he arrives at the place where Jesus was reported to be, he finds out Jesus was on a retreat with a couple of disciples. The other disciples failed miserably to be of any help whatsoever. An argument ensued. “You mean to tell me I came all this way and you can’t help?”
When Jesus finally arrived, dad told his story. He asks IF Jesus can help. Jesus says, if you believe, all things are possible. Dad blurted out “I DO believe…” but no sooner were the words out of his mouth than he realized that deep down, he struggled with doubt. He finished his sentence with the words many of us say during the honest moments of our lives, “help me in my unbelief!
It’s easy to believe when life is good. Not always so when life goes south. So, like the dad, I often catch myself admitting my desire to believe is greater than my ability to believe.
Have you been there? When we use human logic; when we put our trust in our own resources, Hope is hard to come by. When we put our hope completely in God we find comfort. But here’s the best part. He knows going into all this that you will struggle with belief. He knows that no matter how many times he shows himself capable, you’ll be attacked with the demon named worry. But that’s okay. His power is as result of who he is, not the level of you’re ability to believe.
Rest in his comfort.
Have you ever been really thirsty, so thirsty in fact, that you began to feel the effects of dehydration. Dehydration can be harmful to the body. The human body can survive for up to 21 days without meaningful food, but only a couple weeks without water. Water is essential for survival.
Not just any water will do of course. Water can look crystal clear yet contain harmful bacteria or chemicals that can make one sick, or even lead to death. People learning survival skills know the importance of testing water in a variety of ways to make sure, as much as possible, that the water is safe for human consumption.
It’s no surprise to me that Jesus refers to himself as ‘living water’. In John 7:38, he says “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” Living water. When I think of living water I think of a rushing stream cascading over a waterfall. Crystal clear. Beautiful, yet powerful. A never ending sign of strength yet in some strange way, serenity.
In the physical sense, water is beneficial to the body in many ways. It helps to cleanse your organs. It refreshes you. It gives you strength. It satisfies.
In the spiritual sense, a personal relationship with Jesus does the same thing to our souls. In the midst of the wilderness, a refreshing drink of water helps us to carry on. When our souls are in the wilderness, Jesus becomes that source of refreshment that helps us carry on. This living water becomes a source of strength when we don’t think we can carry on.
Jesus is the source of purity. There are other religions. There are other philosophies. There are other ways of thinking. But only Jesus offers the guaranteed love and forgiveness of sin that is available through his sacrifice.
Water refreshes the body, but Jesus refreshes the soul when you don’t feel you can go on.
It’s no wonder the psalmist writes, “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” (Psalm 42:2)
Is your soul thirsty? Do you long for some relief from the wilderness you are in? We were created in God’s image and the only way to fill the void in our souls is with the living water of his Son, Jesus.
Sometimes it’s the smallest things that make a difference. Take, for instance, the lug nuts on the tires of your car. Small, right? Insignificant? Especially if you’ve ever tried finding one on side of the road as your trying to change a tire in the rain? However, without them, you won’t go far.
History is full of stories of little things going wrong with big consequences. Little things can make a big difference!
But this is also true in the positive end. I have a friend who recently lost his management level position at the company he worked for. Even though he was good at what he did, when restructuring of his company came along, his age played against him and his position was ‘eliminated. His age also played against him as far as getting a job of the same caliber even though he was only in his 50’s.
I remember talking with him one day and asking how the job hunt was going. He was frustrated. “No one will even look at me at the management level,” he said, “and there’s no way I’m starting at an entry level job.”
I thought about that as we left. No one likes to start at the bottom. No one likes to do the ‘little, unimportant jobs’. Yet it’s proving ourselves in the little things that prepare us for the big things.
The same is true in the spiritual realm. If you want to see God do great things in your life; if you want to experience God’s power in a mighty way, pay attention to the little things. How you treat people, the words you say, the discipline of spiritual growth are all things that help us see God do great things in our lives. By the way, what you consider ‘great things’ and what God considers ‘great things’ may not always be the same so be patient. Remember, the mighty oak tree was once a nut!
One of my favorite movies is Apollo 13. An unseen hero in the movie is Ken Mattingly. Mattingly was pulled from the mission at the last minute as a precautionary measure due to exposure to the German measles. While he didn’t get to go into space, Mattingly played a huge part in the mission by helping NASA figure out a power sequence that helped save his fellow astronauts. His efforts behind the scenes were instrumental in saving lives.
There are times in each of our lives when our efforts may go unnoticed by the majority of people. That doesn’t make them any less important. Our efforts won’t all have the same magnitude of Mattingly’s heroics, but doesn’t make them less important.
The other night I stopped for gas at a local convenience store. A young man from a car next to mine approached me. It was a frigid night here in NW Wisconsin. It was late. He asked me if I’d give him a jump if he paid me. I smiled and said “No, but I’d do it for free.” He was startled but grateful. Later, after his care was running, he offered again. I smiled at him and said, “You know, Jesus loved me for free. I figure I can show some love for free too.”
My act wasn’t heroic to the world, but it was to him. I didn’t make the news that night, but my Heavenly Father saw it. Too often we may feel like our actions go unnoticed by people, and they may. But never let that stop you from doing the good thing, the loving thing. Never ever give up showing Jesus’ love! Others may not notice, but Jesus will.
One of the things I learned in my education classes was the importance of being on the level of students. Especially younger students. By doing something simple like sitting on small chairs with the kids, or sitting on the floor with them or kneeling down to talk to them when serious conversation was needed worked wonders. Physical presence bridged the age/size gap.
I like to think the verse in Proverbs is God’s way of kneeling down to our level to reveal himself to us.
“Ears to hear and eyes to see— both are gifts from the Lord.” Proverbs 20:12
Listening and seeing are the two senses that speak the loudest to us. Many religions offer gods that we seek after but are impossible to relate to. But not Jehovah God. He has shown himself in the beauty and wonder of creation; he has shown his power in the storm and his gentleness in the rose petal; and most importantly he has shown his character and love through his son Jesus.
He promises that he will reveal himself to those who seek him, The more you search for him, through his love letter, the Holy Bible; the more you get to know him through his son, Jesus Christ, the more you will sense his presence.
This promise is especially comforting during those times when life is a mystery and the future is cloudy because we know who is ultimately in control. His peace is most evident in the storm!
