One of my favorite stories in the Bible is that time when the disciples were on the boat with Jesus
and the winds and the sea were raging and they were greatly afraid as they were being tossed
and Jesus was asleep. Asleep on a cushion…
And He was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake Him, and say unto Him,
Master, carest thou not that we perish? Mark 4:38
But then, as you walk with Jesus, you know He’s going to take care of things. You’ve seen it over and over again,
how He stills the storm and there is a a calm because you know He cares about you…
And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish.
Then He arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased,
and there was a calm. Luke 8:24
And you know who He is: And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another,
What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? Mark 4:41
You know He is all powerful and mighty and you have the fear of God
and you know He is going to take care of things
and you know He’s teaching you things
and you know He’s going to work things out for our good,
and you know trials are in this world, but you are overwhelmed.
You know He has the peace that passes all understanding
and you know He’s with you
and you know He cares about you,
but your mind and body and the circumstances remain in the forefront
and as hard as you try to focus on Him in the midst of the turmoil, you are still overwhelmed.
That’s a hard thing.
The good thing is you know He wants us to take things day by day
and even sometimes moment by moment or situation by situation.
I remember the old dream that someone had called Footprints in the Sand.
Footprints In The Sand
One night a man had a dream. He dreamed
he was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.
For each scene he noticed two sets of
footprints in the sand: one belonging
to him, and the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him,
he looked back at the footprints in the sand.
He noticed that many times along the path of
his life there was only one set of footprints.
He also noticed that it happened at the very
lowest and saddest times in his life.
This really bothered him and he
questioned the Lord about it:
“Lord, you said that once I decided to follow
you, you’d walk with me all the way.
But I have noticed that during the most
troublesome times in my life,
there is only one set of footprints.
I don’t understand why when
I needed you most you would leave me.”
The LORD replied:
“My son, My precious child,
I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you.”
Even Jesus was overwhelmed, when He was sweating great drops in agony, in Gethsemane,
and then again when He was breathing His last:
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?
that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken Me? Matthew 27:46
And Moses got overwhelmed:
I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. Numbers 11:14
We’re in good company when we get overwhelmed. It draws us even closer to the Lord.
We do everything we know is right, believe and have faith and do all the things we know to do.
We rely on God, call upon God, read His word, grasp His promises, but we get tired, overwhelmed.
And He will bring us through, as He always does, as He always has, as He has done for many before us.
His faithfulness is without end. He is strong and mighty and able.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me;
Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. Psalm 23:4
Ah, yes, of course, that is what I need. Comfort. Lord, help me to learn how to sleep on the pillow.