I listened to a Podcast this morning and it reaffirmed so many things I am learning, it just packaged them a little differently. It is Pete Scazzero talking about John 6:16-21. This is where the disciples are out on the lake late at night and a storm comes causing the waters to become rough. They see Jesus approaching their boat walking on water. It says “ and they were terrified.” Jesus responds saying, “It is I; don’t be afraid.”
Pete says Jesus literally refers to himself as the “I AM” which is the prominent name God reveals himself by in the Old Testament. So Jesus is saying ‘It is I, the God of the past present and future, you have no need to be afraid.’ Next it says the disciples “were willing to take him into the boat and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.”
The being willing to take him into the boat overwhelms me. Some days I get stuck just staring at the storm. Calculating the waves, trying to figure out if they are getting bigger or smaller, or what is the best road out of the storm. Guys the Lord just wants me to let Him in the boat. It the whole idea again of Presence. Am I living for the hope of His blessings to come, the quiet shore on the other side, or is my chief aim to simply be with my Heavenly Father. Letting the storm draw me closer to him, learning to trust him, for He in himself is ENOUGH, all I need. The text says “immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.” If I will just let Him in, He is the destination. If I will trust him and let him into my boat, I will arrive in His presence! What does it look like to let him in the boat?
A major theme of the book of John is to believe and trust in Jesus. Pete says that a great modern day definition of belief is to relax in Jesus to trust in Jesus, to let him into the boat. We live in such an anxiety ridden and stress idolizing culture. We are all effected. In this same Podcast Pete challenges us on what it looks like to believe in or relax in Jesus. It isn’t a one and done type thing. We must exercise this trust, inviting him in the boat over and over, daily, even moment by moment. This is the essence of the Christian life. He says the Bible offers us a way to find internal rest in Jesus despite the circumstances around us. It is a depth of relaxation or belief that we can have whether we are on vacation sitting in our happy place or in the middle of a storm.
To aid in the process of learning to relax in Jesus, Pete challenges us to begin integrating 5 minutes of silence into our daily lives. The best way to fight the stress and anxiety in our lives is to surrender to Jesus and let Him into the boat. It is the act of stopping in the midst of our daily lives and making space to say, I trust you. Your presence is everything. I need you Lord more than anything else. Pete gives some helpful tips and at the end observes 2 minutes of silence with you. I encourage you to check out the whole Sermon. I promise there are more gems to mine!
Describe the waters surrounding your boat? What fears and anxieties are you swimming in? Are you willing to let Him into the boat? What, if anything, is holding you back?
The Road We Are On 