Good morning…
From another state, she texted me a screen shot of a book page, sharing a dynamic devotional message from yesterday morning. She had no idea that sitting on my bedside table is the exact same daily devotional book, Paul David Tripp’s New Morning Mercies. Since the words of wisdom resonate so profoundly with my faraway friend and with me, I thought you might also be touched by Tripp’s rich reflection on Mark 6:45-52, the story of Jesus walking on raging water to be with his disciples as they are stuck in the middle of a life-threatening storm.
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Paul David Tripp’s New Morning Mercies – February 26th
If all Jesus wants to do is to relieve the difficulty, he wouldn’t have to take the walk. All he would need to do is say a prayer from the shore and the wind would cease. He takes the walk because he is not after the difficulty. He is after the men in the midst of the difficulty. He is working to change everything they think about themselves and about their lives. Standing next to the boat as the wind still blows and the waves still crash, he says: “It is I. Do not be afraid.” He is actually taking one of the names of God. He is saying the “I am” is with them, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the One on whom all of the covenant promises rest. It is impossible for them to be alone because their existence has been invaded by the grace and glory of the I am.
Why did Jesus send his disciples into the storm? He did it for the same reasons he sometimes sends you into storms – because he knows that sometimes you need the storm in order to be able to see the glory. For the believer, peace is not to be found in the ease of life. Real peace is only ever found in the presence, power, and grace of the Savior, the King, the Lamb, the I am. That peace is yours, even when the storms of life take you beyond your natural ability, wisdom, and strength. You can live with hope and courage in the middle of what once would have produced discouragement and fear because you know you are never alone. The I am inhabits all situations, relationships, and locations by his grace. He is in you. He is with you. He is for you. He is your hope.
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Super strong storms rage within and around us. Divorce or disease. Anxiety or addiction. Depression or disappointment. Infidelity or indecisiveness. Devastating disasters or death of dearly loved ones. Sometimes treacherous winds blow boldly and wild waves crash constantly. Yet, surrounded by the swirling stress of storms, we button down our own hatches, deepening down into intimacy with our living Lord. Over time we begin to sense, it is impossible for us to be alone because our existence has been invaded by the grace and glory of the great “I am.” “Yahweh,” which in Hebrew means “Lord,” is related to the word translated “I am.” “I am” may mean “I am the one who is” or “I will be what I will be” or “I am the one who brings into being.” This is the stabilizing Savior who meets us very personally, powerfully in the midst of life’s scary storms.
Staring into the face of life’s most dangerous difficulties, we stay safely supported by the strong words of Scripture: You’ve come out to fight me with a sword and a spear and a dagger. But I’ve come out to fight you in the name of the Lord All-Powerful. Today the Lord will help me defeat you (1 Samuel 17:45a, 46, CEV).
God is in us. God is with us. God is for us. The great “I am” is our secure hope.
…Sue…
