Saturday, July 9, 2011

Rough Waters

An English idiom states, "when it rains it pours". Simple translation:It hasn't happened for a long time , and then it happens all at once. It's like a Dam breaking loose and Murphy's law takes over and everything that can go wrong does. It's when the storms of life seem to come over you in rapid succession with no break and no end in sight. Can anyone relate to this? I just wanted to share how I deal with this in my life. On the outside, all my circumstances are huge storms, waves crashing over the side of my boat. It is like the story of the disciples who after a long day of ministry (remember the feeding of the 5,000?) got in their boat and right away faced adversity. Isn't that how it is? The victory comes and right on it's heals is a test. In Matthew 14:22-32 we learn about how Peter overlooks the circumstances surrounding him in his boat. The wind had come up and was sending waves crashing about the disciples boat. Jesus had excused himself to be alone to pray. So He was not with them on the boat. Peter and the others were afraid. Fear. Oh how fear can rob you of your faith. Peter learns it is Jesus walking on the water. So he calls out if it is you, let me come. So Peter walks on water. Wow. His eyes are fixed solely on Jesus. He does not even notice the waves at first. It's all about Jesus. But that fear sneaks in and steals his attention, causing Peter to move His eyes to look around at his circumstances: walking on water in the middle of a windy storm with huge waves crashing around him! Fear.
Two main things here that the Lord has showed me. We never know when storms are going to pop up in our life. We were told by Jesus that we would have trouble in this world (John 16:33). First, we must excuse ourselves from the busyness of life to pray. This is a holy disciple. A trained habit that can only be learned. I truly mean pray. Not empty religious repetition, but heartfelt conversation with the Lord. Second we must keep our eyes on Jesus. If we can do these two things when things are going well for us then when the storms come we will be "prayed up". This means that fear will not overtake us. We will be ready to stand firm on His Word and resist the temptation to be afraid, to be overwhelmed by the storms of life. The waters are rough for me right now. It seems like nothing is going right. But God, has ultimate control and sovereignty in my life. I will choose to look to Him and put my faith in Him. Ephesians6:18-19 "Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep praying for all the saints." Stand with me and pray through the rough waters...

It's About Time

Christmas 2022 Luehrs Family This past year has been filled with many planned activities and some of them were a surprise. Once again our fa...