Fears and faith

Matthew 8 : 23 - 27

...even winds and sea obey him...

They had seen their Teacher speak with authority, they had seen him work miraculous healings and yet, their eyes were still somewhat veiled. Aren't we all like this? The words, works and wonders of our Lord have been recorded for us, as the apostle John wrote, " that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."

I wonder if I could ever be 'free from fears' about my life, about what the future holds for myself and my loved ones........Well, I know that I tend to forget that the Lord is in the 'boat' with me, whether in stormy seas or in quieter waters. Doesn't he seem to be 'asleep' at times, not as bothered about situations as we are? Yes, indeed, many situations can last longer than the few hours/minutes that the storm on the sea of Galilee lasted.........

It is helpful to take a closer look, to contemplate Jesus......who is indeed the compassionate, powerful One. He is the One who allays all our fears, and he will 'come through' for us, ultimately. I don't take this to be a glib 'promise' that nothing difficult will ever come over us. Indeed, those times will, indeed, there will be times when the "way of the cross" seems all we can see. But we need not fear - because he has triumphed over the grave.

I was intrigued to read the following quotation: "The maxim of illusory religion runs: 'Fear not, trust in God and He will see that none of the things you fear will happen to you'; that of real religion, on the contrary, is 'Fear not; the things that you are afraid of are quite likely to happen to you, but they are nothing to be afraid of." (John MacMurray)

This set me thinking. It reminds us that a merely triumphalistic religion could be illusory. The Christian faith is unique in that a healthy theology of the cross reminds us that to follow Jesus, is to walk with him the way of the cross, in order to rejoice with him as he conquers death.