“PEACE! BE STILL!”

 Mark 4:35-41                         (ESV)

“[35] On that day, when evening had come, HE said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” [36] And leaving the crowd, they took HIM with them in the boat, just as HE was. And other boats were with HIM. [37] And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. [38] But HE was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke HIM and said to HIM, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” [39] And HE awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “PEACE! BE STILL!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. [40] HE said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” [41] And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “WHO then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey HIM?””

As I ponder these verses I am thinking about all the times I have seemingly been at the “end of my rope” when JESUS said to me, “PEACE! BE STILL!”  One time was on April 11, 2017. I was being “prepped” for heart bypass surgery and my family was with me.  I was very emotional because I knew that they had to stop my heart to perform the work that needed to be done on me, and that there was NO GUARANTEE that it would start again.  Obviously it did start again and the recovery from the surgery was phenomenal, ALL because of GOD!

The disciples KNEW WHO JESUS was, they were with HIM everyday!  But it is still written in Mark 4:41 “And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “WHO then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey HIM?”  This same JESUS WHO spoke and calmed the seas also spoke the wind and seas into existence!  They have do nothing outside of HIS power!  

We weak Believers need to be reminded that GOD even controls the pharaohs in our lives!  Yes, the same GOD WHO caused Pharaoh to keep the Israelites in slavery also told them to leave Egypt and gave them all kinds of wealth to leave!  Then GOD “hardened” the heart of Pharaoh and he pursued Israel to the Red Sea!  Exodus 14:30 says “Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.”  Their enemy was defeated right in front of their eyes and they didn’t have to do anything!

The disciples had to experience fear and doubt before the storm was calmed.  I experienced fear and doubt just before the heart surgery in 2017, but JESUS was IN CONTROL and everything went swimmingly.  JESUS would have still have been IN CONTROL had things not turned out so great!  When JESUS says “PEACE! BE STILL!” The wind and seas obey HIM!  Why don’t we???

“HE DOES NOT HEAR!”

 Isaiah 59:1-2

    “[1] Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save,

        or HIS ear dull, that it cannot hear; 

    [2] but YOUR INIQUITIES have MADE A SEPARATION

        between you and your GOD,

    and your sins have hidden HIS face from you

        so that “HE DOES NOT HEAR”.”

Attention Deficit Disorder, or ADD, wasn’t identified as a “condition” when I was a kid.  If it were, I would have probably been on mega-doses of medicines for not paying attention to whatever was before me!  My condition might not have been corrected with medication, but it WAS corrected!!!  A belt, a switch, sometimes a board was used to “treat” my illness!

Identifying “SIN” and its cause can be challenging for some people, as they are basically “good people” that avoid all of the socially recognized things that others seem to accept as “bad”.  However those “bad things” aren’t what SEPARATES us from a HOLY GOD, but a heart that is unregenerate, that hasn’t been CHOSEN by HIS LOVE!  

JESUS was sent from Heaven to live the LIFE that could not be lived by ANYONE ELSE out of HIS LOVE for us!  We can make excuses for SIN until we are blue in the face, but until our EYES ARE OPENED and we RECOGNIZE that we are SINNERS, we will be SEPARATED from HIM.  Recognizing that WE NEED A SAVIOR WHO has overcome death, hell and the grave is our only hope for eternity.  

“HE DOES NOT HEAR” our bargaining sessions where we CLAIM that we will DO BETTER!  “HE DOES NOT HEAR” us turning over a new leaf!  JESUS says in Matthew 22:12 “For many are called, but few are CHOSEN.”  HE HEARS who HE CHOOSES to hear!  I’m so BLESSED to be HEARD by THE MASTER!!!

“LED BY THE SPIRIT?”

Romans 8:12-15

Heirs with Christ

[12] So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. [13] For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the SPIRIT you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. [14] For all who are “LED BY THE SPIRIT” of GOD are sons of GOD. [15] For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the SPIRIT of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “ABBA! FATHER!””

There have been more than a few times that I have heard “It’s not them, it’s the puppet masters that control them”!  Well just who are the puppet masters and why do they want someone else gaining glory for what they have accomplished?  How are the puppet masters unwittingly controlling people?  

Satan is the antithesis of TRUTH!  JESUS says of “the enemy” in John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”  Since he “deceives” without impunity, he “lies” about everything because (according to JESUS) it is his own character!  Spewing “lies” is not only his preferred method of operating, it is the only way he knows how to act!  

How does someone determine who is guiding their life, basically being a puppet master?  JESUS says in Matthew 12:30 and Luke 11:23 that whoever is NOT with ME , they are against ME!  JESUS also says in John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; MY PEACE I GIVE TO YOU. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”  When we are “LED BY THE SPIRIT” we have a PEACE that guides us in the path we should go.  Being led by the liar will undoubtedly bring turmoil and strife into your midst. But being “LED BY THE SPIRIT” cannot help but bring MY PEACE!!!

“WAIT FOR THE LORD!”

 Psalms 27:14                          (KJV)

“WAIT FOR THE LORD”: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: WAIT, I SAY, FOR THE LORD.”

Exhibiting patience has never been one of my strong suits!  For that matter, it hasn’t even been one of my weak suits either!  Admiration of my wife has been something that has been rather easy for me.  She has always seemed so calm and relaxed.  Even when I was in a coma 14 years ago the nurses remarked how she was seemingly unfazed by the seriousness of my condition, that she KNEW that I was going to be fine???  I can only say today that her FAITH is a lot stronger than mine was!

When we are told to “WAIT FOR THE LORD” we basically have to admit that we ARE NOT HIM, that HE IS GOD and we are not!  How many times are we instructed to HAVE FAITH IN GOD, yet we fail to TRUST in HIS TIMING?  When we tell people that we have faith in GOD, but then we proceed to “make a way” for ourselves, we are in essence admitting by our actions that we know better than HIM.  “Yielding” to HOLY SPIRIT is usually evidence that we are maturing SPIRITUALLY.  

I’m not sure that being placed into a coma is the preferred method of displaying SPIRITUAL maturity though???  There are several times in my life where I have HAD to “WAIT FOR THE LORD” because my mind could not SEE any other option.  My limited knowledge and wisdom could not figure out a way out of the predicament that I found myself in, no matter how hard I tried.  It seems as though I might have been in a proverbial wilderness and every turn I make is the wrong one!

In those times I am left with Psalms 27:14 and “WAIT FOR THE LORD”!  The thing that I really need to hear is the end of the verse that says, “WAIT, I SAY, FOR THE LORD”!!!  It is like HOLY SPIRIT is saying “I have been trying to tell you, “WAIT FOR THE LORD”!!!  I prefer not to be placed in a 17 day coma again to LEARN that lesson!!!

“WITHOUT ONE COMING NEAR THE OTHER!”

 Exodus 14:19-20                      (ESV)

“[19] Then the angel of GOD who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, [20] coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night “WITHOUT ONE COMING NEAR THE OTHER” all night.”

When reading “….without one coming near the other all night” previously, the inclination of this Biblical novice was to accept what I didn’t know as TOO DEEP for me to understand.  The Egyptian army was considered the most feared of the time.  There were few who escaped their wrath and cruelty. Upon researching, an explanation by Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary made all of the sense in the world. 

“Moses' silent prayers of faith prevailed more with God than Israel's loud outcries of fear. The pillar of cloud and fire came behind them, where they needed a guard, and it was a wall between them and their enemies. The word and providence of God have a black and dark side toward sin and sinners, but a bright and pleasant side toward the people of the Lord. He, who divided between light and darkness, Genesis 1:4, ALLOTTED DARKNESS TO THE EGYPTIANS, and LIGHT TO THE ISRAELITES. Such a difference there will be between the inheritance of the saints in light, and that utter darkness which will be the portion of hypocrites for ever.” One angel performed different things to THE CHOSEN OF GOD and those rejected by GOD all at the same time “WITHOUT ONE COMING NEAR THE OTHER”!

The Egyptians and the Israelites were both exposed to the same angel, but one saw the angel as darkness and the other saw it as LIGHT.  Neither could SEE what the other was seeing, only what their EYES were meant to SEE!  In Exodus 14:10 these same Israelites “feared greatly”, but now they didn’t?  Scripture states “And there was the cloud and the darkness.”  WHO do you think was the Cloud (Exodus 13:20-21) and who was “the darkness (John 1:5)???

LIGHT and darkness CANNOT mix, it is not possible!  JESUS IS LIGHT and the devil is darkness.  James 4:7 says “Submit yourselves therefore to GOD. Resist the devil, and HE WILL FLEE FROM YOU.”  It is really quite understandable that we who follow CHRIST are separate from “this world”, as they DON’T mix!  “WITHOUT ONE COMING NEAR THE OTHER” is a lot easier to grasp when you IDENTIFY the CHRIST versus the enemy!!!

“THE LORD WILL PROVIDE!”

 Genesis 22:13-14                    (ESV)

“[13] And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering INSTEAD OF HIS SON. [14] So Abraham called the name of that place, “THE  LORD WILL PROVIDE”; as it is said to this day, “On THE MOUNT OF THE LORD it shall be provided.””

My EYES were opened recently in a BIBLE study at the fellowship I attend.  Our pastor said that the Latin version used for PROVIDE here was “providéo”, or substitute!  Abraham had taken his son, his “only son” Isaac according GOD speaking in Genesis 22:2, to Mount Moriah in OBEDIENCE to the command of THE LORD to offer Isaac as a sacrifice.  Ishmael wasn’t the son of PROMISE OF GOD in Genesis 15:4, but resulted in the impatience of Sarai and Abram trying to help GOD!

It is interesting to this humble servant that GOD had Abraham carry Isaac to THE MOUNT OF THE LORD , a place where GOD often performs HIS grandest achievements.  Mount Moriah, Mount Sinai, and Mount Calvary are just a few examples that come to my mind.   Of course, every mountain was THE MOUNT OF THE LORD as “The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein…” according to Psalm 24:1, so they ALL belong to HIM.  

It was not a “coincidence” that this innocent, unsuspecting ram (Genesis 22:13) was entangled in a thicket by its horns.  It was GOD “providéo”ing for Abraham, just like JESUS did for me on Mount Calvary!  Isaac “should have” been sacrificed on Mount Moriah that day.  I should have been crucified on Mount Calvary that day.  BUT GOD substituted for ALL and paid the price for our sinfulness.  

Having a “providéo” WHO is the SON OF GOD is the best blessing I can fathom.  WHO else could REDEEM such a worthless sinner?  Just as a ram was amazingly caught in a thicket right where it could be seen by Abraham, JESUS CHRIST was right where HE could be seen by me on January 08, 1978!  HE called me out of “this world” and into HIS marvelous light!  “THE LORD WILL PROVIDE” is on HIS timeline, something that I need to exhibit more in my testimony!!!

“GOD HAS SHOWN YOU!”

 Genesis 41:34-40                                          (ESV)

“[34] Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plentiful years. [35] And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. [36] That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.”

Joseph Rises to Power

[37] This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. [38] And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the SPIRIT of GOD?” [39] Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since “GOD HAS SHOWN YOU” all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. [40] You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.””

Joseph found himself in “the place where the king’s prisoners were confined”, in other words, prison!  Just a few days ago I wrote how THE LORD WAS WITH JOSEPH, but now we SEE that he was RISING TO POWER according to the writers of this text.  Joseph had been sold by his own brothers, lied about by Potiphar’s wife, and imprisoned without cause, but he is never recorded questioning GOD or HIS PLAN!

Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers right after he told them of the dream he had where his brothers were bowing down to him (Genesis 37).  He then began his journey through years of “persecution”, following GOD wherever he was led.  The path didn’t lead through comfort and luxury, rather rejection and solitude.  There was nobody telling him how steadfast and obedient he was.  He had to rely on the SPIRIT of GOD to guide and direct him in the path that he was called!

When Joseph was brought before Pharaoh to interpret his dreams, he could have told him whatever he thought that would get his prison sentence lightened or possibly pardoned.  Yet Joseph told Pharaoh that seven years of abundance would be followed by seven years famine, and that Pharaoh should prepare!  Pharaoh acknowledged THE WORD from Joseph and ordered that he should be over ALL Egypt, save only his throne.  

How did Joseph know what to tell Pharaoh regarding his dream?  “GOD HAS SHOWN YOU” was the reason given by Pharaoh himself. Nobody else was able to say “GOD HAS SHOWN YOU” because Joseph was being used by ALMIGHTY GOD for HIS PURPOSE.  ONLY JOSEPH was CHOSEN by THE CREATOR to perform during these events.  

When GOD reveals HIS PLAN to you, obedience is a MUST for your life.  Obedience will probably cost more than money, but the reward will be GREAT, just as it was for Joseph.  Just knowing that “GOD HAS SHOWN YOU” is worth it, but HE REWARDS THOSE WHO SEEK HIM (Hebrews 11:6)!!!