Psalm 121
1 I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber.
4 Indeed, the Protector of Israel does not slumber or sleep.
5 The LORD protects you; the LORD is a shelter right by your side.
6 The sun will not strike you by day or the moon by night.
7 The LORD will protect you from all harm; He will protect your life.
8 The LORD will protect your coming and going both now and forever.
Mark 4:35-40
As evening came, Jesus said to His disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 36 So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). 37 But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.
38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with His head on a cushion. The disciples woke Him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”
39 When Jesus woke up, He rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. 40 Then He asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
I love my New Living Translation Bible. That last sentence in the 1996 edition of the NLT says
"Do you still not have faith in me?" That hits home.
In the middle of suffering or struggles, I sometimes cry out just like the disciples did.
"Jesus, don't you care that I'm drowning here?"
Have there been times when you just felt like Jesus was too busy with everyone elses problems to help you with yours? Maybe you wondered if He really cared? I think most of us have felt that way at one time or another.
I'm so thankful that God chose to include this story in His inspired Word. Can you imagine being in that boat with the disciples; the waves were threatening, water was rising in the boat, the situation was looking hopeless. Some of the disciples were seasoned fishermen and had most certainly dealt with the the tumultuous Sea of Galilee before. Violent, unexpected storms were not uncommon on the lake. Maybe because they had experienced other life threatening situations on this Lake, they knew how serious the situation was, and they couldn't understand why Jesus was not worried. They were scared and He just didn't even seem to care.
I have the honor and blessing of interceding in prayer for several amazing Christians. Through personal friendships and by following new friends on The Care Page and The Caring Bridge websites, I have had a front row seat witnessing as these friends were tossed to and fro on their own Sea of Galilee. The waves and winds threatened and the waters rose to the point where their boat was destined to sink. Yet these steadfast believers trusted in Jesus to calm the storms - in His perfect timing. I'm sure they have days when they just don't understand why He's taking so long to "wake up" to their crisis, but they keep trusting. The reason they have faith even when it seems God is "sleeping", is because they know Him and they trust His great love.
Romans 8 paints a beautiful picture of Christ's love for us. Our lives on earth may not be smooth sailing every day. We may face high winds, our boat may even fill up with water, but Paul reminds us that Christ is still with us. We should never confuse His silence for indifference. When the storm rips and destroys everything we hold dear, HE is still in control. He is still Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. And He loves us more than we can imagine.
We forget that His focus is on our Eternity - not just on our short, little boat ride on the Sea of Galilee.
The letter to the Romans was written in anticipation of what the believers would soon be facing. Unbelievable hardship and persecution was coming. Some of the believers would lose their very lives because of their faith in Christ. Paul wanted them to know that it was not going to be easy but heaven would be more than worth any pain or suffering they endured. He wanted them to be ready to face the storm with the full knowledge that no matter what happened, nothing would ever shake the love Christ had for them. Nothing could separate them from the love of Christ.
Romans 8
15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
The Future Glory
18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. 19 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. 20 Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, 21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. 24 We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. 25 But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.) 26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.
Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love
31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.
35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Bad things happen to good people. The psalmist in Psalm 44 pleads with God for help. This psalm may have been sung at the occasion when faithful Jehoshaphat was surrounded by his enemies and the Levites sang to the Lord before the battle.
Can't you just hear them pleading with God?
Are You asleep God?
Have You forgotten about us?
Why won't You do something?
Psalm 44
For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah.
1 O God, we have heard it with our own ears—
our ancestors have told us of all you did in their day,
in days long ago:
2 You drove out the pagan nations by your power
and gave all the land to our ancestors.
You crushed their enemies and set our ancestors free.
3 They did not conquer the land with their swords;
it was not their own strong arm that gave them victory.
It was your right hand and strong arm
and the blinding light from your face that helped them,
for you loved them.
4 You are my King and my God.
You command victories for Israel.
5 Only by your power can we push back our enemies;
only in your name can we trample our foes.
6 I do not trust in my bow;
I do not count on my sword to save me.
7 You are the one who gives us victory over our enemies;
you disgrace those who hate us.
8 O God, we give glory to you all day long
and constantly praise your name. Interlude
9 But now you have tossed us aside in dishonor.
You no longer lead our armies to battle.
10 You make us retreat from our enemies
and allow those who hate us to plunder our land.
11 You have butchered us like sheep
and scattered us among the nations.
12 You sold your precious people for a pittance,
making nothing on the sale.
13 You let our neighbors mock us.
We are an object of scorn and derision to those around us.
14 You have made us the butt of their jokes;
they shake their heads at us in scorn.
15 We can’t escape the constant humiliation;
shame is written across our faces.
16 All we hear are the taunts of our mockers.
All we see are our vengeful enemies.
17 All this has happened though we have not forgotten you.
We have not violated your covenant.
18 Our hearts have not deserted you. We have not strayed from your path.
19 Yet you have crushed us in the jackal’s desert home.
You have covered us with darkness and death.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God
or spread our hands in prayer to foreign gods,
21 God would surely have known it, for he knows the secrets of every heart.
22 But for your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.
23 Wake up, O Lord! Why do you sleep?
Get up! Do not reject us forever.
24 Why do you look the other way?
Why do you ignore our suffering and oppression?
25 We collapse in the dust, lying face down in the dirt.
26 Rise up! Help us!
Ransom us because of your unfailing love.
He most certainly has ransomed us because of His unfailing love. Yet sometimes we go through struggles that seem so unfair. What did we do? How can change it? How can we make things right so the suffering will stop? But sometimes, our suffering is not a punishment but a battle scar that He can use to demonstrate our loyalty through the suffering. - Life Application Bible
We are here for His glory. Our purpose is to shine for Him and point others to His Son who has graciously offered Eternal Life through His suffering. When I think about that, my suffering doesn't seem very significant. Heaven will be so worth anything I have to face here on earth.
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