Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Reaching Out to Christ in the Storm
“But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’’(30)
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
Standing in moments of comfort and convenience
In the passage, we see Jesus walking on stormy waters toward His disciples. Peter reacts in faith asking to walk on water to Jesus. As he walks, he felt at ease, and he assumed he would be all right. Then, he took his eyes off Jesus and the power of the storm became too obvious to him, and he began sinking. At that moment, he reaches out for Jesus, when he could do nothing else. That was a life-changing moment for him.
The storm became too obvious
On Tuesday, June 4, 2013, I was in Oklahoma for our annual Native American VBS Camp. We had planned to be there from Monday to Friday of that week. After the morning session on Tuesday, we the volunteers along with the camp children went to a lake away from the campsite for leisure time.On our way back to the campsite, we were involved in a head on collision. Once we hit, the CD player in the car began playing the song, “Whom Shall I Fear” by Chris Tomlin. The first line I hear is, “The God of angel armies is always by my side.” Right after the accident, other cars began coming up, and they helped my friends out. Shortly after, the car begins to catch on fire, and I am still pinned inside the vehicle. They broke the glass to my door, ripped the door open, cut my seatbelt off, and pulled me out to safety. Within a few seconds, the driver’s seat catches on fire. There were three off duty trauma nurses on the scene of the accident, and they were praying nurses. As I lay on the ground, one of them stood over me to block the sun, and she began praying passionately with tears in her eyes for each of us. I was amazed at how fervently she was praying for strangers and the love that she had toward us. While I was in the ER, I found out that Patrick had passed away, and the ordeal continued to grow more painful. While I was in the ER by myself with no one around me, all I knew I could do was to reach out and tell Christ to save me. The pain is real, but Christ’s love is far greater, and throughout the worst season of my life, the God of angel armies was always by my side.
Do you face pain in your life? Do you feel alone in the storms of life? You may have relied on your own strength and pride, but when everything falls apart, look to the Savior. He is the only hope for our heart.
Thought for the Day: “Only God can turn any mess into a message, any test into a testimony, any trial into a triumph, and any victim into a victor.”
Mat Stan Samuel, St. Paul’s MTC Dallas