Stupid is as Stupid … Wait a Minute

S - Matthew 8:23-27 (NLT): "Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. Suddenly, a terrible storm came up, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went to him and woke him up, shouting, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" And Jesus answered, "Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!" Then he stood up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly all was calm. The disciples just sat there in awe. "Who is this?" they asked themselves. "Even the wind and waves obey him!"

O - In a world of storms and countless drowned fishermen the Lord's question seems rather … forgive me for this, stupid.  This apparent stupidity is followed by a statement which reveals a truth the world still refuses (even the church world).  Little or no faith concludes only what it knows to be the inevitable.  Experience, accurate assessment of conditions and options all confirm the diagnosis … blub, blub, blub.  This world, our world, fallen and full of unexpected and tragic events looks very different to the eyes of faith. Earth's inevitable and heaven's inevitable are nothing alike and Jesus' consistent point is that heaven is near; not just in the invisible and eternal but in the tangible and now. The Lord's question and statement are followed by actions which leave no other conclusion: to him who believes nothing shall be impossible.

A - Little faith (mustard seed size) can literally move a mountain or toss a tree into the ocean and … it can also shut down and give-up even when the Lord has planned something better.  The "encouragement" to shutdown is fueled by past requests which have not been answered as asked or by overwhelming emotions and thoughts in the face of overwhelming dynamics.   Jesus' response to the disciples was not "how could you have been so foolish as to sail into a storm?" or "stop whining and row harder!" The issue is faith in God's power and trust in the person of Jesus not the magnitude of the storm or the history of men at sea. My assignment as a follower of Jesus is not to assess probabilities of outcome but to do the work of believing and asking. What makes the impossible possible is always the same … me taking Jesus at his word.

P - Lord of All,
I thank you for allowing me to come near and stay near and to ask anything.  I admit that killer storms want to kill my faith or at least shut it down.  I also admit that waiting to see how things turn out is not the same thing as believing that things will turn out well; and that in this season of believing I still have to wait until the storm subsides and we are safely on the shore.  So, today while it is called today I default to faith in your limitless power and trust in your impeccable person.  Lord, I yield to your awesome brilliance and extreme goodness as you work everything for good.  I will work with you and do the work of believing.
Steve