Opening Prayer: Almighty God, Lord of the storm and of the
calm, of day and night, of life and death; grant to me so to have my heart
stayed upon your faithfulness, your unchangingness and love, that whatsoever
betides me, I may look upon you with untroubled eye. I ask it for thy mercy’s sake. Amen. (Little Book of Prayers by
George Dawson)
Scripture: Mark 4:35-41
Journal: What are the storms in your life right now? What doubts do these storms create within
you? Does it cause you to feel like God
doesn’t care? Is it hard for you to
believe that Jesus can provide calm to your storm?
Reflection:
Life is so fragile at times. One minute the skies are blue, the sun is
shining, and all is well with the world.
And the next, all hell seems to break loose—storms, waves, chaos,
frenzy, pain, suffering—and we’re just hanging on for dear life, trying
desperately to survive or stay afloat. And
when the furious squall comes, the questions of our heart seem more
numerous than the waves on the sea. What
in the world is going on? Why is this
happening? Why me?
So, in our desperation, we turn to
God. Where are you? Are you asleep? Don’t you care if we drown? All of these are gut-wrenchingly honest
questions, raw and real. They are
questions that we desperately need to have answered. Questions that show us what the foundation of
our lives really rests upon. Questions
that ultimately show us—for better or worse—what our faith is really made
of.
And they are questions that, depending on
where we go with them and how they are answered, will determine what we truly
believe about life and faith and God. Are we on our own? Do we have to fend for ourselves? Or is there really a God who cares? Is there really a God who can help us make
sense out of all this? Is there really a
God that can bring calm into the midst of chaos?
What we find, if and when we turn to Jesus
in the midst of our storms, is that he indeed is always true to his
name—Immanuel—God with us. He indeed is
present, and not asleep. He indeed cares
for us deeply, in ways that we could never imagine.
What we find out is that he, indeed, is
able to bring calm into the midst of chaos, peace into the midst of
upheaval. He, indeed, is God and he,
indeed, can be trusted—even in the midst of the storms. Even when we feel like we are about to go
down, about to drown, about to be swamped.
He indeed, can rebuke the wind and the waves. He indeed, can utter the words
Quiet! Be still! And he indeed, can make the wind die down and the
sea become completely calm. Turn
to him and see for yourself. (Reflections by Jim Branch)
Prayer
Closing Prayer: Dear God, you never said it was going to be
easy, you simply call us to trust you.
Give us the faith necessary to do just that. Grant us the strength and the courage to
choose to trust you, rather than to focus on the storms brewing around us and
within us. Help us to be consumed with
love for you rather than being consumed by our own fears, anxieties, and
agendas. Teach us what it means to have
faith; for that is the deepest desire of our hearts. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
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