I was studying in Matthew yesterday and want to share a little bit of what I got out of the passage I read.
First, I read Matthew 8:14-15 which says:
“When Jesus arrived at Peter’s house, Peter’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a high fever. But when Jesus touched her hand, the fever left her. Then she got up and prepared a meal for him.”
Matthew 8:14-15 NLT
The Lord took this small passage to teach me that he doesn’t save me for me to sit around. He saves me and then I’m supposed to get to work. The woman in this passage was sick. She could very well have chosen to rest after being healed, but that is not what she did. She chose to get up and serve the one who healed her. That is what we are called to do. We are called to rise and serve Him.
Churches today are filled with common-law Christians that want all of the benefits of Christ without the commitment He requires. This verse shows how that isn’t what we are called to. We are called to rise and serve.
As I read further on in Matthew 8, I read verse 20:
“But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.””
Matthew 8:20 NLT
and realized, if we are called to be like Jesus then resting isn’t really part of the equation. He himself found rest scarce, so we should expect the same. I find myself becoming irritable when I feel like I cannot find rest. I was convicted about the way I choose to react in these times. I, like the teacher, said I would go wherever He goes, but I found myself becoming angry at this truth that was written about this journey long before I decided to take it. It was a heart-check I needed.
Then, I read Matthew 8:23-27 and the Lord wrecked me.
“Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm. The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!””
Matthew 8:23-27 NLT
I am just like the disciples. Jesus got into the boat with the disciples, right? Well, don’t we call Jesus Emmanuel? Emmanuel means God with us. We are so quick to judge the disciples for being scared of the storm, because the Lord was in the boat with them, but we do the exact same thing. We have Emmanuel but every time something comes along, we yell out for God to save us. We forget that his protection is there the whole time. We don’t allow the Lord to rest peacefully within us because we are always yelling for him to save us again and again. He saved us the day He died on the cross. We so easily forget that truth. I imagine the Lord says the same thing to me often, “you have so little faith.” Still, he quiets my storms and calms my fears every time, and every time I’m amazed.
What’s more interesting is that the Lord called them to go through that storm for a reason. On the other side of that lake there were 2 people the Lord wanted to heal. If going through storms is what we are called to do to reach others for Jesus, then I will gladly choose those storms every time.
Those are just some of the thoughts and things I got out of this passage. The Lord was asking me to look deeper into the struggles I face and see where he was leading me through those and why. This is what I’ve gotten so far. Thanks for reading!
