April 27th, 20

APRIL 27,  LEARNING IN THE STORM

II Samuel 2, I Chronicles 11, Psalm 142 and Matthew 14

Not all troubles are as they seem.  Not all storms are as they appear.  Sometimes tests aren’t just pass/fail.  Sometimes there is teaching in the test. God wants to instruct us toward something really important in that test.  And sometimes he will marshall some pretty interesting teaching assistants 

like the wind and the waves.  In this story they seem to be working in concert with Jesus, the teacher, to help teach these boys, in the middle of this test. 

It appears that the most optimal time for learning is not when things are calm and conditions good.  Rather, it seems that the best time to learn is when things aren’t all that great, the storm is brewing and the wind is blowing.  It’s during the night, when the boys are tired, afraid, the waves stirring, the wind blowing, and they are at their weakest, that Jesus invites Peter to get out of the boat and walk on the water in the storm.  It’s not during flat calm conditions or when Peter is well rested.  No, it’s when Peter is  at his weakest.  That’s when this teaching is most optimal.  When Peter keeps his eye on Jesus in the storm, he is most fully alive.  When Peter is at his weakest point, he is doing things that before, were completely unimaginable to him!   

We have to come to an end before we can begin.  It’s the lesson of letting God be God in us. It’s as we keep our eyes on him, during the storm, that we experience his power in and through us, in ways that, before, were completely unimaginable.  We can choose to take our eyes off of him and put them on to the wind and the waves. If we do, our results will be the same as they were for Peter.  We’ll begin to sink, to descend, as fear captures our heart.  

The storm can draw our focus to him or away from him.  The choice is ultimately ours.  We can choose to keep our eyes on him through the storm or look away in fear.  We need to remember that not all storms are what they seem.  This isn’t a pass/fail test.  God’s wanting to teach us something in the midst of what we’re going through.  He’s wanting us to learn that it’s at our weakest that we can find him most strong.  God delights to show himself strong in our weakness. He invites us out into the storm when we’re most tired and completely spent.  That’s when he wants us to get out of the boat and begin to walk with him, trusting him in ways we would have never imagined otherwise.  If it  were flat calm out we might not even notice Him. In the storm he’s teaching us to trust him, learning from him in the middle of the seemingly impossible storm.

Be mindful that when the wind and waves are blowing Jesus is teaching you something.  He’s inviting you to get out on the water and walk toward him even when you’re most exhausted.  It’s then that you come fully alive in Him.   As you trust him, he helps you to do the impossible.  He is right beside you in the midst of it all. 

You are loved!