Challenges

The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:
The Lord make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. — Numbers 6:24-26

It’s hard to believe that another year has ended and we are already several days into the new year. Truthfully, I felt no sorrow about waving goodbye to the last twelve months. I am looking forward to the days ahead and facing, head-on, the challenges they bring. Some of those challenges are planned — reading, writing, and sewing — and some are yet unknown.

So far, I have only listed tangible challenges. What about those we can’t touch? They are just as real and, I believe, more important to our well-being. Intangibles that affect our relationship with God and other people.

One of the most beautiful blessings in the Bible is the Priestly Blessing found in the book of Numbers. The Priests were to use this blessing when pronouncing God’s favor on the Israelites. The emphasis is on God. Its purpose is clear: it communicates the Lord’s desire to invest His people with His name. He alone can bless them, keep them, look on them with favor, be gracious to them, and give them peace.

Under the Old Covenant, the High Priest was God’s appointed mediator between God and man. Under the New Covenant, Jesus is our Great High Priest and our one and only mediator. While the Israelites were surrounded by enemies, they received God’s blessing as a promise for protection as they crossed into the Promised Land. Believers today are promised that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ.

By God’s grace, we have been called to pray that He will bless others with the truth of His gospel. May this year be full of peace and well-being as we seek to serve Christ and become channels of His blessings.

Dear Lord,
Thank You for a new beginning each day. I pray for a fuller understanding of Your blessings in my life.

Peace, Be Still

"And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. 

And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. 

And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.

And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 

And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. 

And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 

And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith? 

And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" — Mark 4:35-41 

Several years ago in a small, family-owned Christian bookstore, I came across a framed print of a painting entitled Peace, Be Still. The artist had captured in expert detail, the scene of Jesus calming the storm as told about in scripture. The raging waters, the wind-tossed boat, the terror on the men’s faces, and the total serenity of Jesus as He raised His hand to command nature to obey. 

I connected with that painting and would have bought it that day, had I not been short on funds. A few weeks later when I went back to make the purchase, the art piece was gone. I am still searching for it. Why does that portrayal of one event of Jesus’ life, still have such an impact on me? It shows the true Christ. 

Like so many of the events of Jesus’ life, this story is told in three of the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. To get the complete narrative, I like to read all three Gospel accounts. We see that Jesus had been teaching and healing near the Sea of Galilee. A large crowd pressed Him close to the sea and needing rest and time away from crowds, Jesus decided that He and the Apostles would take a boat to the opposite shore. Soon after they sailed, an exhausted Jesus fell asleep and a storm arose. When the boat started to take on water, the Apostles feared for their lives and pleaded with Jesus, Master, don’t you care if we drown? 

This story reveals the true humanity of Christ. He needed rest and time away. Often His ministry left Him without time to eat or sleep. Jesus was so fatigued that a raging storm didn’t wake Him. This should help us realize that Jesus was genuinely human and had the same basic human needs that we have. He understands us. In Hebrews 2:17, we see that Christ’s humanity is part of what makes Him qualified to be our merciful intercessor with God the Father. 

We also see that the Apostles suffered a lack of faith. This should remind us that even those who lived and walked with Jesus, witnessed His miracles, and received His teaching first-hand, still found it difficult to be completely faith-filled 100 percent of the time. But just as the Apostles' lack of faith was rebuked, so is ours. Jesus rescued the Apostles from the storm and is able to rescue us from the storms of everyday life. He was with the Apostles, and He is with us in the midst of our storms. 

But the story doesn’t end there. Not only do we see the true humanity of Jesus, we also see the deity of Jesus. Only God can make the wind and water obey. Only God has true power over nature and can command the elements. Only God can bring true peace. 

This can be enormously comforting to Christians in a storm. Remember that faith in Christ is never misplaced. If He can calm the storms of the sea with one word, He can calm the storms of life. 

Dear Lord, 

Thank You for the promise that You will be with me in the midst of the storms in my life.