True Light and Peace

Coming to the end of a year, a question often arises. Do we look back before looking forward, or do we face only the future closing the door on the past? To answer that question, we must ask another. Is the fear of pain from the past too great to consider when thinking about the new year? Let’s conjecture that looking back helps prepare us for the future and helps us see and experience both joyful and hard times with balance, with peace. How can these be?

Consider what John said in John 1:10. He spoke of Jesus, the “true Light,” when he said, “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.” The Son existed before He created the world, and yet the world did not know Him. Still, God did not count that against humanity completely. He desired to have a relationship with each person, who though sinful was loved by Him. God’s desire for a relationship led Him to plan a way for each person to receive complete cleansing from sins and renewing of a right relationship with Him. This plan is God’s provision of salvation from sin’s penalty by the pure sin sacrifice of Jesus, His Son, the Light John spoke of in John 1.

John said more in verse ten. He said, “The world did not know Him.” This word “know” comes from the Greek word ginosko. It means to realize something through personal experience. If you recall meeting a person unfamiliar to you, first you may have seen the person, but not known the person’s name. Next you would have heard the name of the person, but not met the person. The following step in an experiential relationship of knowing a person was being introduced to the person or meeting and introducing one’s self to the person. The next step of knowing this new person was to look purposefully for the person where you expected him or her to be, like at school or the shop. The following step would be to call the person to get to know him or her better. Later you may have planned together to go jointly somewhere. As you spent more time together, you learned of the person’s likes and dislikes. You strove to give him or her what he or she liked. Finally, you committed with your heart, mind, body, and soul to be best friends, husband and wife, or some other close relationship. This is what ginosko means. It means a gradual, experiential knowing someone.

Moses taught this same understanding of our verb “to know” to the Hebrews when he returned to Egypt and led them from Egypt to the Promised Land. The word he used was yada. Yada has the same meaning. Moses showed the Hebrews the power of his God when he proclaimed the plagues over Egypt. Next, he showed them the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night telling them it was God’s presence protecting and guiding them. The Hebrews learned to recognize and expect God in those ways. As Moses set up a tent of tabernacle wherever they encamped, the people learned that meeting with God is real. He is as near as your own being and as far away as the heavens. They saw Moses’ face glowing from being in the presence of God’s glory. Moses continued to make God known to the Israelites throughout His forty years as their leader. By the time the Israelites entered the Promised Land, they knew God and covenanted with Him that He would be their sole God and they would be His people. The Israelites came to know God experientially, too.

This understanding of “knowing” is what John meant when he said, “The world did not know Him (Jesus).” Through the Old Testament period, the Jews had the commandments of God, which were to lead them to Him to have a relationship with Him. Still, the Jews often strayed from a relationship with God. They sinned, and He disciplined them. The Israelites enemies captured, scattered, and/or took some of them into captivity. Their national land size decreased. The Israelites worshiped other gods. Finally, during the 400 years before Christ’s birth, silence reigned over the land when no prophets of God spoke for Him to the Israelites. “The world did not know Him.” John was right. Even the Jews did not know Jesus. “Jesus came to His own (the Jews), and they did not know Him,” John said in verse eleven.

We each need to consider our first question and answer it for ourselves. Do we look back before looking forward, or do we face only the future closing the door on the past? Knowing God is not just an intellectual action. It is a response of faith and acceptance of Christ, the One who made God known. When we consider our first question, we must decide if we know God through Jesus Christ. Can you hear His questions?

“Did you know Me when happiness came to you this year? Did you seek Me to thank Me for what I did for you and for being in a relationship with you? Did you seek to use the blessing I gave you for My purposes or did you withhold it?”

“Did you know Me when the dark abyss knocked at your door? Did you seek Me and My will or did you turn your back on Me doubting My love for you?”

In each of these situations, you can do God’s will. What is His will? That we know Him, love Him, and show our love of Him by our obedience to Him. That we glorify Him, not ourselves or what we own, will do, or will become. Oswald Chambers surmised that if we follow God’s will and experience pain, then we are being pulled by other things and God. We are torn in two. Chambers says that comes from lack of trusting God to take care of us. Pain, also, comes to grow us. God allows pain to occur. Sometimes we grow more when walking through pain. When Peter saw Jesus walking on the water in the storm, he immediately climbed from the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. While he kept his eyes on Jesus and not the storm-tossed waves, he walked. When Peter took his eyes off Jesus, he sank. (Matthew 14:22-33)

God allows storms to grow us. We have a choice in how we will approach each storm. Will we trust God and walk while keeping our eyes on Him, or will we take our eyes off God and flounder? How well we know God, ginosko, determines the answer to this question. If you only know God when someone points out what He did, then you might succumb to the storm. If you know God as your personal Savior and have a deep, personal relationship with Him through regular Bible reading and studying, praying, and listening to Bible teaching and preaching, then you will grow stronger in the Lord as you walk with Him. A close relationship with God includes loving Him and doing His will. Paul said in Romans 8:28, “We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” From this close relationship with Him, trust grows. When trust grows, then the peace of God, given through Christ becomes part of a person’s life through the joys and trials. Jesus spoke of this peace He offers in John 14:27 when he told the disciples He would soon go prepare a place for them. He said, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

As we consider the new year coming, we return to our first question. Do we look back before looking forward, or do we face only the future while closing the door on the past? Are you afraid to look back at this year when looking ahead to 2019? Do you only consider the future and slam the door on the past because you don’t want to face it again? If you know God, you do not have to fear the past or the future. You do not have to make resolutions to ensure the upcoming new year is better than this year. Instead, trust God to take care of your new year and your pain from this year. Allow yourself not to be self-sufficient, but to trust in God. How do you do this? How do you trust God with your year and your life? Get to know Him, really know Him. Knowing God starts as an intellectual exercise, but it must go beyond the mind to the heart and soul. Oswald Chambers said, “Belief is a deliberate act of my will, not an intellectual act, where I deliberately commit myself to God and obedience to Him.” (My Utmost for His Highest, December 22^nd) Truly knowing God is a deliberate act of your will. Jesus told us to love the Lord with our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Once you begin truly knowing God through seeking Him with your whole being and through belief in Jesus as your Savior, then you trust Him more and receive the peace He gives to every believer.

When you get to the start of the new year, looking back helps you recall where you walked with your eyes on Jesus and where you did not. It helps you gauge your relationship with God so you can grow closer to Him with each day of the new year. Looking back at the last year helps you see where you had peace because of knowing God.  It helps you see where you did not have peace because you tried to manage in your own strength. You can experience peace in the new year when life is stormy and when calm. Knowing and trusting God through Jesus Christ gives peace for all situations.

Are you ready to slam the door on this year thinking next year has to be better? The new year can be better if you seek the Lord to know Him with your heart, soul, and mind, and obey Him. Knowing and trusting God does not mean you will not experience storms. It means you can live with peace during the storms.

Knowing God grows trust and gives peace.

Perspectives and Portents

One day the sun rises, the birds sing, the air is sweet

And we breathe a sigh of relief.

Another day the sun rises, the crows caw,

And we wonder what will go wrong.

Is it the change of days that makes things appear good or bad?

Or is it a change in perspective that brings about this perception?

The real question should be,

Is God the Master of the day in which the birds sing

And the day in which the crows caw?

Without delay, the resounding answer is, “Yes!”

But, do we live our lives as if we believe that answer?

Do we allow our fears of what may come or what is happening determine our emotions?

Do we allow our fears of what may come determine how we will step into our situations?

Remember, fear is not from God. God casts out all fear.

John said this in 1 John 4:18 when he said, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”

Is it not the same God who creates both days, one when the birds sing sweetly and the other when crows caw?

Is not the cawing of crows just another bird’s song, maybe not as beautiful to some ears, maybe yours, but still a bird’s song?

Then what causes us to fear and our emotions to change?

It is not God because God made both these days, and these birds and their songs.

The fear comes because of our skewed perceptions. One bird’s song is beautiful and the other is not. Thus, a legend passed down leads us to hesitate in our day, fearing and wondering what bad may befall us.

Fear comes because our perception, our focus, does not remain on the Master, but instead on the matter.

If our eyes, inner and outer, remain on the Master, we will see the day as one He made and then rejoice and be glad in it knowing He is the Maker of it with His creative love. Since He is the Maker, He is the ruler and we have nothing about which to be afraid in it.

It does not matter what occurs during our day, the Master is in charge of the day.

Whether a light breeze whisks by or a storm rages, God is the Master of the day. He is in control of it and He loves us.

God is Master of the matter, created things. The matter is not master of God.

Does that mean He will make the storm cease raging?

Sometimes. And that is a great testimony of God’s power.

Still, other times the storm does not cease, and the winds keep raging.

Does that mean He is not merciful or is not strong enough to calm the storm?

Never. God is still the Master of the storm. This time, He wants to walk with us through the storm.

There is a reason He doesn’t calm the storm as well as why He does.

Both times can bring us closer to God and grow us in our walk with Him. Because He loves us.

How we confront the day determines our growth from it.

The day doesn’t determine our growth, but instead our faith in God does.

One day, Jesus put the disciples in a boat and told them to go ahead of Him to the other side. He went to pray. While the boat was a long way from the shore, the storms raged on the sea. Shortly before dawn, Jesus went to the disciples by walking on the water. By this time, the disciples trembled with fear since they had been in the storm on the sea. They saw Jesus and thought He was a ghost and so were more afraid. Jesus identified Himself and told them to be courageous and not fear. Peter told Jesus, “Lord, if it is You, tell me to come to You on the water.” Jesus said, “Come.” Peter stepped onto the water and began to walk while keeping his eyes on Jesus. When he looked away and saw the raging sea, he became afraid and began to sink. Peter said, “Lord, save me!” (Matthew 14:22-33)

Isn’t this like so many of us? We have faith until the storms of life come against us. Then we remember Jesus and His power and love for us. This causes us to have great faith, so we can step out and follow Him despite the storms. Yet many of us, most of us initially, look at the storm instead of the Savior. We consider how great the storm is and forget how great the Master is, the One who created the matter.

Just as Jesus did for the disciples, He does for us. He reaches out His hand, catches us, chastises our little faith lovingly to teach us, and gets into our boat with us calming the sea as He does.

God wants our love for Him and faith in Him to grow. He allows circumstances to happen so we will trust Him more and grow in our relationship with Him-so that our faith will grow.

What is the difference between when Jesus told Peter, “Come” and when He climbed into the boat?

The difference is Jesus first took Peter out of his comfort zone to grow him. He walked with Peter through the storm.

The second is Jesus calmed the storm. He took Peter and the other disciples out of the storm by bringing stillness and calm back to their surroundings.

God can answer prayer for help during storms in two ways: remove the storms or walk with you in the storms.

God didn’t change. His love for you is the same.

What changes is your perspective. The days of storms are like the days you wake up and the crows caw. God created them and is Master of them, but to you, it portends a bad day.

The days of calm winds and no storms are like the days you wake to birds singing. Once again, God created them and is Master of them, but to you, no challenges seem to be on the horizon.

What changed with each? Did God change? No. God is still the Master and in charge of everything.

What changed is your perspective. We see the beautiful day and know our God can Master that. The circumstance does not define God, but God defines the circumstance. God’s got this, we think.

On the other hand, when we see the stormy day, we begin to question God’s might and mastery. The circumstance, in our minds, defines God. That should never be!

God defines all circumstances and is Master of them all. Nothing defines Him.

God is the definer-the Creator-of all things.

What changed? Our perspective.

We each must grow in our faith. God does not always calm the storms.

Because of His love for us, He wants us to grow stronger in our faith.

Because of His love, He walks with us in the storms.

Did you hear that? God walks WITH us in the storms. That is perfect love. And remember, “Perfect love casts out fear.”

The next time you wake up to a day and feel like it will be a bad day, or you are going through a stormy time in your life, remember…

God loves you. His love is perfect. His love casts out fear.

God walks with you through your storm!  He loves you!

Lord, sometimes all I see is the storm. I cannot see You. Help me see You and trust You. Walk with me through the storm and grow me to be more like You. Make me faithful and strong in You and Your love.

His Outstretched Hands

But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:30-31 [NASB]

Peter and the disciples were in a boat crossing the sea Jesus told them to take after feeding the 5000 men, along with women and children. After they departed, He went to the mountain alone. During the fourth watch (3am-6am), Jesus walked on the sea toward the disciples’ storm-tossed boat far out at sea. The disciples saw him and thought He was a ghost. They did not believe it could be Jesus since they had never seen a person walk on water. They did not first believe in Jesus’ power, but allowed their small understanding of Him cause them to trust first in what they feared, a ghost or death from being at sea in a storm.

The disciples allowed their culture and their fears to dictate what was real and what was powerful. The wind causing the waves to batter their boat and toss them around was fearful for them because people die at sea. Their fears of dead people’s spirit’s inhabited and possessing them for evil caused them first to fear what appeared to be Jesus. Their little understanding of Jesus’ power caused them to doubt the person they recognized was the living Jesus. The disciples fear, culture, and lack of understanding and belief created for them a crisis. They could not trust what they saw-Jesus walking on stormy waves-but had to determine its authenticity by their flawed understanding as people.

Peter was uncertain, but he wanted to hear Jesus’ voice to confirm His reality and presence. He asked Jesus to command him to come. Peter recognized Jesus’ voice, and he understood Jesus’ command to come because Jesus commanded him, Andrew, James, and John in Matthew 4:19-22, “Come follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.” Peter wanted to be certain it was Jesus when all around him was waves and storm caused by whipping winds.

Jesus loves to hear from His disciples. He did as Peter asked; He commanded him, “Come.” Jesus knew Peter’s heart and that he wanted to follow Him. He understood Peter feared He didn’t know the Master completely. Peter didn’t trust his instincts yet that it really was Jesus. As a fisherman, he had experience with the storms on that sea. Peter realized the wind could knock him over and the waves could swallow him. He wanted to trust what he saw was Jesus. Peter’s heart knew it was Jesus, but his mind needed confirmation, and Jesus gave him that with His voiced command. He knew these things about Jesus. Peter didn’t yet realize Jesus was Master over the winds and sea.

Jesus commanded Peter, “Come.” Peter stepped out on the water and kept his eyes on his teacher in faith, truly recognizing him. Still, Peter’s mind told him to look at the waves, see the wind’s work, and remember these storms kill fishermen. He began to sink and all on which he had to hold was his small faith and hope that what he saw really was Jesus. His last hope before sinking under was to call out to Jesus, “Lord, save me.” “One whom I respect and recognize has power, save me!” Peter said.

Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of Peter. He asked Peter why his faith wavered. Without Peter’s answer recorded, Jesus got in the boat and the wind stilled. The wind recognized Jesus’ Lordship.

There is more at stake here than Jesus’ Lordship of the winds. In our understanding of creation, we know Jesus was part of creating all that is and so we recognize Jesus is Lord over the winds. What is most important in this passage is the disciples’ growth in faith, specifically Peter, but all of them because they all worshiped Jesus in verse thirty-three.

Jesus could have made the winds stop and allow the disciples smooth sailing over the sea while He prayed on the mountain. He could have calmed the wind that caused the waves when He began walking on the water towards the disciples’ boat. That would have made it easier for a human body to walk on water. Jesus could have calmed the wind and water when He arrived at the disciples’ boat. That would have made it easier for Peter to walk on the water so he mentally wouldn’t hesitate when he wanted to walk to Jesus. Jesus did none of these things. Instead, He answered Peter’s request. Jesus commanded Peter to come.

Jesus calls to each person, “Come.” We state within ourselves, “Sure, He is powerful and can make it smooth. I will trust in Him.” Yet, days will come when the winds of the world cause storms to rise around us. On those days, we hesitate and ask the Lord to command us again, “Come.” His first command when He called us to come follow Him is in our memory, but our fears and culture collide with it and we doubt. We want to believe and so we ask Him to call us again. We want to believe He’s there and we are to continue to follow Him, but the winds and storms of our days make us doubt Jesus really called us. What we see and hear, and what we carry from our culture dictates to us what is and can be. Our minds and experiences try to take over our hearts. It’s from there we cry out to Jesus, “Lord, save me!”

Jesus could have made the way to Him easy for us every day. He could have kept the winds from battering our minds and hearts. Jesus could have stopped the winds when He answered our prayers to call us to come to Him again. Yet, He doesn’t always do that. What is He doing at these times? Why isn’t Jesus stopping the winds and storms? He is doing what He did for Peter and the other disciples. Jesus is growing us so we recognize He is Savior and Lord. Peter recognized Him, called to Him, believed in His power, and then let his circumstances dictate to him how powerful Jesus might be. He defined Jesus’ power by his own circumstances instead of letting Jesus define the circumstances.

Life would be easier if there was no wind and storm, but then we would be weak Christians with little need for Jesus. Without strength training, muscles stay weak. Without spiritual training, our faith remains small. Jesus allowed the waves to continue as He walked on the water, as He called to Peter to come, as Peter walked toward Him, and as He rescued Peter and they walked to the boat. Only after Jesus climbed into the boat did the winds still. Each step Jesus and Peter took was one step more to strengthen Peter’s faith and grow him toward Jesus.

Life gets hard and messy. Jesus calls to each of us. He calls us to come follow Him. As we follow Him, the winds of life do not always still. In their blowing, Jesus calls us to continue to follow Him. He knows it would be easier if the winds stopped, but He wants us to grow stronger in our faith to become closer to Him and become more like Him. Jesus allows the winds, not to harm us, but to strengthen us. He defines the circumstances. His “come follow me” doesn’t stop when life is hard. Jesus’ call is louder and more insistent during these times so we can hear Him while in the storms.

Though the sun does not shine, the storms batter the house, and the battle rages in your mind, Jesus’ call still resounds loud and strong, “Come, follow Me.” He is near you, calling you to come, and stretching out His hand to you.

Don’t let your circumstances define your faith. Let Jesus define your circumstances.

Let Him show you He is Lord over everything in and around your life. Allow Him to grow your faith and your relationship with Him. Step out on the water and recognize He is Lord. Then you will join the disciples worshiping Him, proclaiming to Him, “You are certainly God’s Son.” (vs. 33) Let Jesus to be your sunshine on stormy days. Allow Him to be your stability. Let Jesus gently erase the memories of your past and replace them with His reality. He loves you and will not let you sink if you follow Him. Jesus is Lord of your past, present, and future.

Lord, help me to see You and have faith in You even when I am weak, when the days are dark, and my heart wants to doubt. Help me to grow toward You and more like You each day. Forgive my doubt and falling back on what I know from my culture and history. Help me to remember You are Lord of my circumstances and they do not define who You are or what You can do. Thank you for your patience with me. Amen.