Mike's 40 Day Journey

I didn’t have my computer on this particular day, so I did this one old school. Nothing wrong with that at all…

Mark 6:45-51

⁴⁵ Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. ⁴⁶After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.

⁴⁷ When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. ⁴⁸ He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, ⁴⁹ but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, ⁵⁰because they all saw him and were terrified.

Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” ⁵¹ Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed…

*****
Unlike the storm that Jesus calmed earlier, this time the storm on the sea/lake was a little less treacherous. The passage says the disciples were straining at the oars working against the wind. I picture the disciples working hard against the forces of nature, working hard and making little progress. Isn’t that like life sometimes? I find this more relatable than the earlier storm incident because often for me life can constantly press on me and prevent me from making progress. That includes not just things I’m working on at home or at church, this also includes my own spiritual growth. Life is full of distraction and pressures that work against my spiritual developlment. It’s an uphill battle, it’s working against the current, it’s struggling against the wind.

But then in the midst of the struggle, something happens to the disciples. They see a ghost walking on the water, and they are frightened. It is something that no doubt stopped them in their tracks. I am sure they must have stopped rowing when they saw this person walking on the water next to them from a short distance. But thankfully for them, it was Jesus. And I am reminded that sometimes Jesus appears to us – in the midst of our struggles – as a distraction, even as something overwhelming. He comes as a surprise to us, and we can initially take Him not as a friend, but as an enemy. I can imagine the disciples thinking or feeling like, “Man, if things weren’t bad enough, now we are being haunted by a ghost!”

I wonder if in the midst of my daily pressing on if I miss Jesus and see His working around me as an enemy against me rather than a friend for me. Lord, help me see You in my midst as something good rather than more easily attributing “surprises” in my life as something evil. Lord, I admit that sometimes when a large obstacle blocks my path, Lord help me discern if it is You that are doing something before attributing it to something standing against me.

Mark 6:35-44

³⁵ By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. ³⁶Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

³⁷ But he answered, “You give them something to eat.”

They said to him, “That would take eight months of a man’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”

³⁸ “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.”

When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.”

³⁹ Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰ So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. ⁴¹ Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. ⁴² They all ate and were satisfied, ⁴³ and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. ⁴⁴ The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

*****
I think I would have been caught completely off guard by Jesus’ remarks. I honestly cannot blame them for their reaction. Really, looking around at over 5,000 people (probably at least double considering there were 5,000 men noted in v. 44) – how on earth could I and the other disciples take on such a great need? Ah, but all things are possible with God.

But then to go out amongst the people to gather what food there was, I would have been disappointed by the fact that there was only two fish and five loaves among them all. I almost find that hard to believe, to be honest. Among probably 10,000 people, there were only two fish and five loaves? I wonder if there were some who were unwilling to give up their food. I wonder if they thought if they would have little to nothing to eat if they gave up their food. It’s all speculation, though. But back to the disappointment…I think I initially would have thought Jesus’ idea to go out and take an inventory of available food was a good thing to do. I might think that this would produce what was needed to feed everyone. Imagine my utter dismay to find mere crumbs for the masses. Why would Jesus have me take inventory when He surely knew there wasn’t enough? I am reminded that sometimes I might misinterpret one step in God’s plan as the goal of His plan. Jesus never intended that there would be enough on an earthly level to feed all the people. He had the disciples take this step of obedience NOT with the purpose of filling the need, but to show them something greater – the great abundance of God to meet needs in a miraculous way.

Making this personal, I need to be sure that I am not presuming what God is doing by looking at the outward situation and signs. When something happens in my life, I need to be careful not to run out ahead of God presuming He’s doing this or that. I need to just keep walking with Him on this journey and let Him take me wherever wants. No speculation needed. No worry needed. Just a walk with Him each step of the way. And as I walk with Him, He will reveal glorious things to me.

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Thinking of the boy for a moment who provided the food for the 5,000 (from John 6) – at least two things stand out. First, he was just a boy. Don’t you just love how Jesus uses a little boy and not some elite figure? I love that! I am reminded from Paul (1 Cor. 1) that God uses the weak and foolish things of the world to shame the “wise”.  Does not the world look to the skilled and gifted to accomplish much? Here, I think Jesus is showing the disciples that they don’t need to be like that. Jesus can accomplish miracles through a little boy. In this regard, I need to put more energies toward faith rather than self-improvement. Miracles are not performed through my skill; they are accomplished only by the power of God.

Mark 5:21-43

²¹ When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. ²² Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet ²³ and pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” ²⁴So Jesus went with him.

A large crowd followed and pressed around him. ²⁵ And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. ²⁶ She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. ²⁷ When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, ²⁸ because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” ²⁹Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

³⁰ At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

³¹ “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’”

³² But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. ³³ Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. ³⁴ He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

³⁵While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher any more?”

³⁶ Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

³⁷ He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. ³⁸ When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. ³⁹ He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” ⁴⁰But they laughed at him.

After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. ⁴¹ He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). ⁴² Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. ⁴³ He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

*****

I listened to this passage on audio on the way into work this morning. It’s one of those dramatic kinds of readings, and it did a lot to help me picture it in my mind. I was struck by the similarities of the two situations told in this story. The first – of a man who was desperate to find a way to heal his daughter, so desperate that he went to Jesus despite the likelihood that he would be criticized by his colleagues, him being a synagogue ruler and all. The bleeding woman also desperate to find healing sought Jesus. And I also notice what great humility they both had. So desperate and believing that Jesus could do something about it. I also notice that they are both seeking Jesus as a sort of last resort. And here’s what I take away from this. I don’t think these two people actually sought Jesus as a last resort per se; Jesus hadn’t been around really that long, so he was unavailable to them for healing. I think they had to go through all the various earthly resources available at the time so that when Jesus finally comes onto the scene, He is seen for Who He is – more powerful than any earthly power. Sometimes we need to be brought to our wits end, sometimes things have to become so desperate, and we have to rule out all other options so that God can stand out as not an option among many, but the only answer to our problems.

Obviously having a daughter now, I can relate to Jairus. I would go to any length possible to save Maili. I wouldn’t matter what people around me might think of my “desperate measures”. And yes, if I heard the news that she had died and that there was no need to bring Jesus to the house, I would feel tremendous grief, perhaps denial for fear that she had really gone. And when Jesus says these words to Jairus, my heart would be encouraged: “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”  People are crying and wailing; the little girl lays still on the bed. Could it be true that Jesus would still save her?

I read this story, and I have to remind myself that this is not a made up story about Jesus. This really happened. This really happened. This really happened. Do I believe this same Jesus is in my midst through the Holy Spirit? Do I have faith to believe?

Faith – it is something I see in the narratives so far this week. Do I believe Jesus can forgive sins? Do I believe He can heal? Do I believe He can calm the storm? Do I believe He cares enough to do something in my life? Jesus says to me:  “Don’t be afraid; just believe!”

Lord, help me have more faith in You.

Mark 4:35-41

³⁵ That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” ³⁶ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. ³⁷ A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. ³⁸Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

³⁹ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!”Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

⁴⁰ He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

⁴¹ They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

******
With which character do you most relate?

As I look more closely at this passage, I really see more than just Jesus and the disciples. There are also the people on the shore looking from a distance. There are those in the other boats going through the same turmoil as those in Jesus’ boat. But of these 4 characters, I would have to relate to the disciples. Despite having Jesus near, there are storms that come in life, storms that are so large that there’s nothing I can do but run to Jesus in desperation.

Be a disciple:  Has Jesus ever led you into a storm? Does it ever seem like he is asleep in the stern?

To be honest, I have not had a really stormy life. People look at my upbringing and think it was unusually difficult. And looking back, it probably was, but it didn’t seem that difficult at the time. When I was a youth, there were the usual struggles that every youth has to deal with, but added to that was the stormy marriage of my mother and father, the absence of my parents due to second jobs and navy sea duty, and so on. But at the time, we didn’t know better as kids, and we just went with the flow. That was perhaps the stormiest time in my life, and yet it did not cause me to run to Jesus. Later in college, I am sure the things that my stormy upbringing did to my way of thinking, my insecurites, my strivings had an indirect impact on my coming to Christ. I was desperate for meaning and purpose. My drive to be successful was overshadowed by its shallowness. In the end I sought Christ (or really, He sought me), and I honestly never felt like he was “asleep in the stern”. In fact, my experience was that He has always been active, always pursuing.

Be in one of the other boats:  Have you ever been caught up in someone else’s storm?

Now this a good question. And yes, I have on several occasions. Some people have come to me feeling terribly isolated with the feeling that God doesn’t care enough to do anything about their situation. I feel helpless for them because there is nothing I can physically do to help them. I can pray and provide strength through the Scriptures, but I admit there are times when I wished so much that I could do something more. And yes, there are times when I wonder where God is for them. The earlier verses in Philippians have been helpful encouragement for these times, and certainly ones that I can point people to during these times of affliction. But I know that sometimes words alone don’t always seem like enough. It is in these times I think that we as the church need to be a lifeline to people. I’m not suggesting the church replaces or obstructs a person’s leaning on Christ, but there ought to be someone to go through the storms with.

When I think of this story, I admit that I don’t relate well as a person in the storm. But it is true that I see people often in that situation. Where is Jesus during their storms. My prayer is that I can direct them to the “Silencer of storms” and walk with them and show them that Christ really does care.

Going on day 9, and what I’m noticing is that the weekends disrupt the consistency and continuity of my quiet times. I need to figure something out for this…

Mark 3:1-6

¹ Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. ² Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. ³ Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”

⁴ Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?”But they remained silent.

⁵ He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. ⁶ Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

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With which character do you most relate?

As sad as it seems, I might relate a little with the Pharisees. I can limit what I believe God will do because I confine Him to my limited knowledge of the Scriptures. I can box Him in theologically and when there is something done in the name of the Lord, and if it doesn’t fit my notion of God, then I am skeptical. At least, though, I think I don’t look at Jesus or my limited notion of Him as an enemy of God. I think cautiously, but I don’t think I would plot to kill Jesus – at least I hope not.

Be the man with the shriveled hand: Are you incapacitated in any part of your life?

Of course! The unfortunate part is that I am so blind to these areas. Yes, I am aware of them, but they are such a natural, though fleshly, part of my being that if I am not watching for them, I can do or say some things not very pleasing to God. I am also very aware that these are things – despite my awareness of them – that I cannot handle on my own. I need to go to God to give me the strength to correct them. The very nature of my incapacities are so ingrained in my thinking (e.g. insecurities), that I need to continually correct wrong thinking in me.

Be the Pharisee:  Are you disturbed when Jesus breaks religious rules or does something out of the ordinary?

As I mentioned earlier, it’s not so much the religious rules, but maybe something out of the ordinary. I am a natural skeptic. Not a good thing when God is trying to get through.

This week we are going to watch the Ugandan children’s choir at a very charismatic church. I was so concerned about the theology and overemphasis in certain areas that I watched some video of their worship service before deciding. Part of the reason for that was wanting to protect the church, but really, what’s the big deal? God works through different people differently. And if I’m totally honest, God probably wants to show me a thing or two through this group of chosen.

Lord, open my eyes to the wonder of your law. Open my eyes to your fullness and let me not be restricted by my limited picture of You.

Mark 1:40-45

⁴⁰A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

⁴¹ Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” ⁴²Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.

⁴³ Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: ⁴⁴ “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” ⁴⁵ Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

Be the leper: What are you desperate for God to do in your life?

As the leper, I am desperate to enter normal society again. I simply want to be like everyone else, to be included, to leave the fringe world and be accepted. In order to do this, I need to be healed of this disease.

Be Jesus:  Are you willing to touch “untouchable” people?

Yes, absolutely. As Jesus, I know that all people are “untouchable”. There isn’t a person on earth who isn’t infected with sin. There isn’t a person alive that isn’t unclean. That is the very reason Jesus came to earth  – to touch the unclean and make them clean.

How does this apply to my life and what will I do about it?

First off, I am incredibly thankful that Jesus came to touch me, an untouchable, unclean soul. Second, because I am no different than the outcasts in our society in God’s eyes, I have no reason to treat them as untouchable. If I am honest with myself, that’s easier said than done. I can almost subconsciously carry an “us/them” mentality, making it uncomfortable to touch those who are so much different than me.

What will I do about all of this? I need to make sure when I am having reservations about helping someone who is far different than me, that I not the difference influence my decision. I pray that I will remember in those times that I am no less an outcast than those who I might see as outcasts. Lord, help me to not see our society’s outcasts as any worse than me. Let them be as valuable to me as they are to you. Let me not make a distinction.

“My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:18)

Right off I see that it is God who is the one doing the work here. It is God who will meet my needs. Now I know that often my needs are met through the kindness of others, through a paycheck, and even through the church. But in all of these, it is ultimately God who is meeting my needs through these channels. God is the one doing the work here through others.

Secondly, I notice that God is meeting my needs, not necessarily my wants. I know this seems obvious, but try believing this when it feels like your needs aren’t being met. I know many single people who would love to be married. I know a few people who live in constant physical pain. If this verse is true, why then does it seem that so many needs go unmet? That’s a fair question. That’s a question that if I was honest with myself, I might ask the same thing. The answer, of course, is simple but difficult to accept sometimes. The answer is that we must believe the truth of these words and let life follow after. If I believe God will meet my needs, then I must believe that what appear to be unmet needs are not actually needs at all or else they are still yet to be filled. Either way, I must take God at His word and live with the situation believing that He will meet true needs in His time.

The other day I received a call from someone trying to understand what “according to” meant. Since this person was a few days ahead of me in the devotionals, I had not yet done this verse. Despite that, I had a great time discussing this with him (and Lyanne) as we tried to understand the meaning of “according to”. And what we concluded was the more important matter was the object of “according to” (i.e. what our needs were going to be met “according to”). According to Paul, my needs are met according to his “glorious riches in Christ Jesus”. Now imagine if my needs were met according to his “unmerciful wrath” or his “leftover crumbs”. That would not be any encouragement at all. In fact, that would not give me any confidence that my needs would be met at all, and even so, they might only be barely met. But since my needs are met according his “glorious riches”, I can believe that my needs will be met abundantly, extravagantly, gloriously. When I look back on my life, I find that to be so true. God has not merely barely met my needs; He has abundantly supplied for me over and over again.

When life is difficult and my needs don’t seem to be met, I must remember…no, I must believe that God is meeting my needs not just according to a measly resource as a last resort, but according to His greatest riches in Christ Jesus. I pray I never loose sight of that. I pray that I might be more than content with His providence. I pray I might rejoice in the richness of His generoous hand upon my life.

“I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” (Phil. 4:13)

In referring to “I”, Paul is referring to himself; and yet I know this truth to be true for individuals as well. This is true for me whether I believe it or not. And then he says that he “can”. There is confidence in Paul’s use of “can”. He doesn’t say “I might be able to do everything” or “I should be able to do everything”. He is definite about it – “I can”. He adds to this confidence the assurance that he can do “everything”. (Paul sure uses a lot of absolutes in his writing.) I see Paul essentially saying that God gives him all the strength he needs to do what He is calling him to do.

The idea that we can do everything “through Him” I think could be stated that we can do everything through the strength He gives. The thought that God will provide all the strength we need says that I can do things that are beyond my human capacity. I can by faith trust that if I will simply obey Him even in the most impossible of tasks, He will enable and empower me to do it.

The truth that God will provide all the strength I need to accomplish whatever He asks of me is true whether I believe it or not. The question I must ask myself is whether I will live out that truth or simply let it stand untested or unproven. My prayer is that I might have the confidence of Paul and say, “Yes, I can!” when God calls me to do something beyond my human capacity.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Phil. 4:6)

I’m wondering if I like or dislike Paul’s use of catch-all words like “anything” and “everything”. I mean don’t be anxious for anything – that means everything. That means zero anxiety about anything at all. Instead, Paul says, I am to present (offer to God) my requests to Him in “everything”. And if I read this correctly, he is not limiting our requests to those things that make us anxious, but rather in “everything” present our requests to God. And today, that’s what really stands out to me – this idea that I am to present my requests to God in “everything”. If I will take that seriously, then I am sure that there will be no anxious thoughts about some things. Prayer over everything trumps anxiety over a few things every time. And isn’t that kind of what Paul is saying in v. 7?

A few more quick thoughts — We are to present our requests to God through PRAYER and PETITION. When I think of prayer, and particularly in contrast to petition, I see prayer as talking with God and listening  and enjoying a relationship with Him. The petition piece is where we ask God for something. And so asking God for something, then, comes from a place of relationship rather than approaching Him as some sort of vending machine.

And lastly, I cannot forget to mention the great need to be thankful. It really underlies our requests and prevents us from coming to God with a demanding spirit. Having a thankful heart is our way of staying humble before God and being open to whatever He might bring.