Let Him Sleep

     “As Jesus got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but He was asleep. They came and woke Him, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We are perishing!’  He said to them, ‘Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?’ Then He got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm. The men were amazed and said, ‘What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?” Matthew 8:23-27


     So often, when we are faced with violent storms in our lives, we are filled with fear and dread! Like the disciples, our focus is on the wind, the crashing waves and the trashing of our little boat. We wait, expecting Jesus to intervene, but nothing happens to quell the storm in our hearts, minds and souls. We feel frightened and fear that we will be capsized into the deep, dark, ominous sea!

     As our fear mounts, we finally shout out to God. It seems to us that He has been sleeping. Is He unaware of our current situation? Does He really love us? Do we really matter to Him?

     Scripture tells us over and over again that we are loved and precious to our God. “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jer 31:3). “I have called you and you are Mine” (Is 43:1b). “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Joshua 1:5).

     In times of trouble, it seems as if we forget that very truth! Like the disciples we call out to Jesus, “Can’t You see that we are perishing? Wake up! Why are You sleeping when I need You?”

     Jesus’ reply to us is the same, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?”

     His words make our hearts sink. We do not want to be of little faith. We know that Jesus is God and is always with us. But, in our humanity, we forget and fall into the sea of doubt. We forget we are God’s little children, and expect far too much from ourselves. We need to recall our littleness and do what children do when they are afraid – go and cling to Jesus.

     As a parent of five, many a night, one of my children would crawl into bed with me when they awoke and were frightened. I did not chastise or send them back to their room. I allowed them to cuddle with me and held them tight until the fear faded away. They felt safe and would fall asleep in my arms.

     Do the same with Jesus. When the storms of life come and you feel as though He is asleep, instead of calling out to Him in desperation, run to Him. Let Him continue to sleep. Gaze upon Him with love. Cuddle up next to Him. Feel His strength. Feel His comfort. Place your head on His chest and listen to His sacred Heart -- beating with love for you. Maybe He’ll awaken and put His arms around You. Allow Him to do so. Whisper to Him all your worries and concerns. Remember that His is God and will give you the grace that you need to navigate through any storm – no matter how severe. Relax, realizing you are loved and cared about. Like a little child, fall asleep in Jesus’ arms – the strong arms that were stretched out on the cross to prove His great love for you. Experience the great calm, knowing you are not alone.

     Experiencing storms is going to happen to all of us, as we navigate the sea of life here on earth. Keep your eyes on Jesus, awake or asleep: He is the God of the universe, who is aware of everything and can quiet any storm. Remain little. As Jesus looks upon you with His love, allow Him to lift you above the storm, where the sky is blue and the sun is shining.

     But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.” “Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you. See, upon the palms of My hands I have written your name” (Is 49:14-15).
   
   
   

Live Radically

     While they were still speaking about this, He stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” But they were startled and terrified and thought they were seeing a ghost. Then He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Touch Me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.” And as He said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, He asked them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave Him a piece of baked fish; He took it and ate it in front of them. He said to them, “These are My words that I spoke to you whole I was still with you, that everything written about Me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And He said to them, “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are all witnesses of these things.” Luke 24 vs 34 – 48


     For those of us, who first learned about the resurrection of Christ at our mother’s knee, it is a very familiar story. It could therefore, be heard so often we do not experience the impact that this amazing and wonderful act of God should have upon us.

Ascend to Him

     Our hearts were healed by His presence. Jesus had risen from the dead as He had promised and He appeared to us a number of times. He opened Scripture to us and we began to understand that this – His story – had all been foretold by the prophets. He had not abandoned us – His love was true. Jesus was the Promised Messiah!

Open the Door

     “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, Peace be with you.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so I send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained” (Jn. 20 vs. 19-23).


     Filled with fear for their lives, the disciples hid, locked away. Most of them had been in hiding since the horrible events of Thursday evening had taken place, while others joined them later. Their Master had been betrayed, scourged and crucified. Most of them felt ashamed of the way they acted during Christ’s passion. They were confused, perplexed and heavy hearted.