Don't You Care?

Last night after our Access small group, I had a conversation with a student who talked about some friends of his who were going through some tough financial times as a family. He also mentioned his own family's issues and there was such concern in his voice as he said, "I've got to do something about it." He was grasping at straws because in his heart he had no clue what action to take.

This morning I was reading in Mark 4 where Jesus calms the storm. It says this:

"As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, 'Let's cross to the other side of the lake.' So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind. But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.

Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up shouting, 'Teacher, don't you care that we're going to drown?'"

-Mark 4:35-38 (NLT)

At this point, the disciples had seen Jesus do some amazing things. He had healed people o' diseases, helped crippled people walk, cast out demons, etc. And the disciples witnessed all of it. And yet, like us, they were quick to forget because they were in the midst of a storm that was going to rock them like a hurricane. And they went to Jesus and said, "Don't you care that we're going to drown?"

I bet the disciples tried just about everything on their own to fix the situation. They let their fishermen instincts kick in and analyzed all the options. They messed with the sail and mast. They probably even started throwing things overboard to lighten the load. But when a storm is bearing down, what could they possibly do on their own? So they finally went to Jesus and said, "Hello! How about some help here?"

Do you think Jesus knew there was a storm going on? Of course he did! No one sleeps through a fierce storm in a small fishing boat! I am a deep sleeper and nothing short of a dump truck driving into the side of our house is going to wake me. But I guarantee that if I was sleeping on a boat that was about to be flipped upside down by waves, I wouldn't sleep long. So Jesus was fully aware of what was going on.

So then did Jesus just not care? Was he not concerned about the safety of his disciples? Was he ready to let them all drown?

I believe Jesus was fully ready to step in, calm the storm, and save the day. He was just waiting on the disciples to come to him for help. He wasn't playing some mean trick on them. He just wanted them to understand that only he had the power to do something about the situation. Either they look to Jesus for help and trust in His power, or the boat gets flipped and they all drown. Those were the only 2 options!

The same is true of us today. We face the storm and crazy life situations head on and freak out.

• My mom/dad just lost their job and we're broke!
• I just found out my little brother has a rare blood disease!
• My parents are getting a divorce!
• I am getting ready to go to college and have no clue what I'm about to do!
• *Enter your specific situation here*

We see the possibility of us drowning and we immediately wonder where the heck Jesus is. Does He care? Is He just sleeping in the back of the boat while we're about to be destroyed?

But when we go to Him as our source of hope, strength, and protection, He comes through. And He asks us, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?" (verse 40)

What Jesus wants from the beginning is not for us to try to handle things on our own; not freak out and get fearful; not get angry and wonder why God allowed this to happen. Instead, Jesus wants us to come to Him! To go to the back of the boat immediately and say, "Hey Jesus, there's a storm going on here and I'm looking to You in faith to help me out."

I really believe that at the heart of God He is a rescuer! He has to be in order to do something as drastic as sending Jesus to die for us and rescue us! He loves to come to the aid of His people and save the day! And God is waiting for us to come to Him in faith and believe that He does care and will bring us through! Not because the storms we face aren't a big deal, but because we belong to a powerful God!

That's Freakin' Impossible!

We all go through those times when things hit us, we feel the pressure of life, discouragement can set in and we begin to lose focus or get frustrated. And often things feel worse than they actually are. But that's how life is sometimes.

So the last few weeks have kind of been like that for me. A mix of discouragement, pressure, and life situations. Then I've been facing the ultimate discouragement of rooting for sports teams that are just plain "turrible".

So a couple of weeks ago I had an encounter with God that was exactly what I needed. I was reading in Zecariah 8 and how God was planning to bring Israel back from exile and restore Jerusalem like it once was. That must have seemed like such an impossible task to the people.

It's similar to a foreign country coming into the U.S. and wiping out our cities, killing people, and taking others as prisoners back to their country. The thought of us ever being what we used to be would seem farfetched.

But in verse 6 God says, "All this may seem impossible to you now, a small remnant of God’s people. But what is impossible for me?"

I read that and it totally changed my perspective in the way I was praying about things and my mindset. I began to think, "God, what is impossible for you?"

Later that afternoon there were some "bombshells" that were thrown at me and some stuff that was discouraging. Perhaps any other day it may have been crippling. But God immediately brought me back to what I had read that morning and said, "Todd, I knew what you were going to experience this afternoon and what you would need to make it through." Rather than it breaking me, it was an opportunity to see God do "the impossible". And it gave me the right perspective in dealing with things that the enemy meant for destruction!

That is how our God works! He knows the things that life will bring our way, both good and bad. He knows the temptations we face, the struggles we encounter, and the mindset of the enemy to steal, kill and destroy us. And rather than watching from a distance and allowing the crap to overwhelm us, He shows up and reminds us that He is in control and intends to bring about good!

Every single day there are things the Creator wants to reveal to us and do in us, and many of those things can directly impact the events of that day. But if we never seek Him, never spend any time with Him, never allow His heart to collide with ours, we end up feeling discouraged and alone. And we miss out on what God wants to do.

Have you spent time in the presence of the Savior today? It will change your perspective and remind you that with Him, nothing is impossible!