(Further reflections on “Mother’s Day Message”—Sunday, 9-May-2021)
The heart and the mind are like wild horses. They are sometimes uncontrollable and other times unpredictable. In fact, “The heart is deceitful above all things and sick” (cf. Jeremiah 17:9) and no one seems to understand it. And the mind is inclined to crookedness or wickedness or unrighteousness or evil (cf. Proverbs 17:20; Colossians 1:21). They need to be rebuked by God’s word and guarded by God’s peace in Christ Jesus.
When we are in good times, our heart and mind seem to function well. But when our life faces challenges, fear creeps in. The heart is troubled as the mind struggles. When this happens, our well-being can be effected by its shockwaves. It can range from a small wave to a tsunami. And the “boat” of life can be capsized or wrecked as our feelings and thoughts are bombarded with “waves” of fear, anxiety, stress, anger, and anything in between. Love, joy, peace, and hope are being “ransacked” by those “waves.”
Throughout history, no human seems to be able to calm the raging sea. When people are in a storm, they will desperately cry out to anything, asking any gods for help, hoping they are powerful enough to get them out of the stormy situation. We saw even non-believing sailors who urged Jonah to call on his God (cf. Jonah 1:5-6). Today, in the midst of the pandemic, non-believers are likely open to any power, whoever is able to grant them protection and peace. This is a great opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus Christ to others who are in stormy situations. Now before people can get to know Jesus and begin to put their trust on our God, they need to see our faith in Jesus. Perhaps non-Christians did not want anything to do with the God we said we believe, trust, obey, and worship, because they see more of our fears than our faith. So what’s the point of following Jesus if Christians are no different than non-Christians? The ironical pain in the story of Jonah is that God’s people, the “Sent” did not trust God at all. Jonah was reminded by non-believing sailors who did not seem to know the Lord but trusted Him. They even urged Jonah to call on the name of the Lord. Likewise, the painful irony in our time is that Christians, Christ’s followers, the “Sent” did not wholeheartedly trust Jesus who alone can calm the raging sea by rebuking it. If Jesus had already shown his power over nature/creation and over death, why should our heart and mind be troubled by the current storm, the pandemic or anything that life may throw at us? From “womb” to “tomb,” have we ever stopped worrying?” Well, we are told (cf. Matthew 8:24-26) that Jesus’ disciples were afraid, too. They cried out, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” And Jesus did not immediately rescue them, but said (it’s a rebuke) to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Let this sink into your heart and mind. Let Jesus’ word help you to identify the source of your fear. Got it? It’s the “little faith” (in case you didn’t get it). We then see Jesus get up (from his ‘peaceful’ rest/sleep), rebuke the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. Got the picture? Jesus was in the storm together with His disciple. He took his time to rest even when everything around Him was chaotic/stormy. He simply stood up and brought the raging seas into perfect calmness by rebuking it. Peace is with Jesus and it comes when God’s word is spoken. Now recently people (cynically) say that we are not in the same boat, but in the same storm. Granted. And the question will be, “Is Jesus in your boat?” If He is not, fear is your natural response. If He is, you are empowered to speak His word, rebuking any “storm” of your life. The heart and the mind are like the winds and the sea. They can cause a storm in our emotional and spiritual and physical well being. They need to be rebuked by Jesus’ word. Additionally, they need to be guarded by the peace God (cf. Philippians 4:7) which can only found in Christ Jesus. If no one will be able to understand the deceitfulness of a human heart, then when this “Jesus-peace” is evident in our life, no one will be able to explain it fully, because it surpasses all understanding and people will flock to Jesus, asking Him for that peace, which cannot be found in anyone or anywhere in the world nor can it be purchased by anything. “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7).” It is freely given by God through Christ Jesus and it only can be received by faith. Although we can read, hear, agree, say ‘amen’ many times to the above regarding the peace of God in Christ Jesus, we will not get it until we really, truly, and absolutely believe it is Jesus (the God who dwells among them) who has power over and will rebuke any “storm” in life. Our heart and mind will naturally wander and they need to be intentionally guarded by God’s peace in Christ Jesus. Until then, fear tends be the natural and the constant reaction of our life. In Christ, —
Pastor Lap
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