Skip to main content

Finding God in Unexpected Places

             “Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him… Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he… saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake… When they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified.  Immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’ Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed” (Mark 6:45-51).      
                Why didn’t the disciples recognize Jesus that night and why were they so scared of him?
                By this point, they had spent more than two years with him.  They had heard his teaching and they had seen all kinds of miracles.  In fact, just prior to getting in the boat they watched Jesus feed five thousand people with a little boy’s lunch.  After all they had witnessed, why do they assume it must be a ghost and not Jesus?
                I think the answer is simple: They did not see Jesus there because they did not expect to see Jesus there. 
                The truth is that most of us will get about as much of God as we expect to get.  In other words, when we decide that there is an area of life that God cannot touch, it is quite likely that we will never see him working there.  By trying to confine and control God, we actually miss out on the blessings that he wishes to bring to us.  How many of our storms could have been calmed by Jesus, but we kept “straining at the oars” ourselves because we did not believe that he could get to us?
                The temptation is always to limit God, to define him and put him in a box that makes sense to us.  We like a God that is on a leash and only goes as far as we want him to go.  However, a God on a leash is no God at all.
                Ephesians 3:20 says that God can do “immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine”.
                Do you believe in that kind of God?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Consider This: What is so Great About Grace?

If you were to drive by our house, you would see that Sara loves plants.  Our yard is full of flowers, and Sara lovingly tends every one of them. Which is why I was so afraid when she left town and put me in charge of keeping things alive. She must have been a little concerned, too, because she sent me two videos with specific instructions on how to water, when to water, and what to do.  Honestly, those first two videos helped, but the third one she sent was the one I liked most.  In that one, she said, “Please do your best. I want the yard to look good for the family reunion in two weeks.  However, if something dies, we will dig it out and pretend that it never existed!” That is what grace looks like!  Try your best, do what you can, but if it goes wrong, it will be ok. Sometimes we talk as though grace and effort are opposites.  That is not true.  They are partners. In one place, scripture asks, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone c...
Post a Comment
Read more

New Article: Thanksgiving in Real Time

                    Thanksgiving weekend means that many of us will spend time together with family and friends, eat a lot of food and think about what we are thankful for in our lives.   Unfortunately, after that, most will go back to their normal routines and leave thankfulness behind.                   What would happen if thanksgiving were part of our everyday life, rather than something we focused on a few times per year?   Where would we even start?                 According to Philippians 1:18-26, the apostle Paul remained joyful and thankful, even while imprisoned for his faith, by holding on to three important practic...
Post a Comment
Read more

Do You See the Angel?

          In the gospels, the story of Jesus’ birth is preceded by the prediction of the birth of “John the Baptist”.              John’s father, Zechariah, was a priest at the temple in Jerusalem.   One day, while he was burning incense to God, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and said, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John” (Luke 1:13).               This was surprising news to Zechariah and so he asks, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years” (verse 18).   That is a logical question, right?   I mean, he is asking for a sign so that he can believe something that seems quite unbelievable.   Who would fault him for that?        ...
Post a Comment
Read more