Thursday Theology Matters (2): Where Is Your Faith?

It’s the 9th March, 2023, and we are nearly three years since Boris Johnson called a ‘lockdown’ in what became the most historic, unprecedented (yes, sorry, that word again!) time in our world’s history.

Sadly as most are finally now realizing, this is nowhere near over and we are never now going back to that pre-covid world, due to all that’s ensued and ongoing.

I don’t know about you, but for me, 2023 has brought with it its own set of deep challenges, already, just 2 months in.

Spiritual people might say I have been (and indeed continue to be) in a storm.

It got me thinking, earlier, when picking up the Biblical book of Luke for the first time in quite a while.

Many of you reading on here do not call yourself followers of Jesus or spiritual at all, so i won’t assume you know what I’m writing about when I mention the story of Jesus calming the storm. (For those of you who are, great, take a fresh look again).

It’s found over in Luke Chapter 8, in the 2nd half of the Bible. Which these days is the book of love needed more than ever (from a fresh non-religious perspective). Despite what else you may have thrown at you telling you otherwise, elsewhere.

Everyday theology takes a turn for the better when one simply takes a look with fresh eyes upon all the good stories about the man of God, who took on our sorrows, Jesus Christ.

It turns out that He is actually very good news, especially for the times we are living in.

In this specific story that freshly caught my attention this week, Jesus was out in a boat, on a lake with his disciples, who together got caught in a storm.

The bizarre thing, though, was that Jesus was somehow able to SLEEP during this storm. Wozwers. Have you ever been able to sleep in your storm?

It got me thinking.

Pondering.

Praying.

Praising.

How in the world – this world – did Jesus simply SLEEP during what the New Testament describes as a “squall”?

What sort of internal spiritual atmosphere was Jesus stewarding, and miraculously (at least in our very ordinary human eyes) manifesting for him to happily fall asleep and have to be woken up by his disciples who were so utterly terrified at the whole situation they said, “Master, Master we’re going to drown!”

Don’t know about you, but I want to walk more in that kind of storm-busting peace.

Anxiety-busting spirituality? Why has no one been sharing this more often?!

True Christ following was and is the original anti-anxiety tonic for life and all its twists and turns.

Jesus was not in the slightest bit afraid of the circumstances around him, as challenging as they were. He simply got up, rebuked the wind and raging waters and once things had calmed down asked his fellow boat companions (the disciples), “Where is your faith?”

Amazing.

No wonder his fellow boat companions, the disciples, asked, “Who is this?”

For who can miraculously calm your storms like this?!

Whether in 23 or 2023.

What sort of storm are you in this evening (or whenever you read this)?

And where is your faith?

Where is my faith?

I’m challenged afresh today and suitably calmed by a fresh awareness and understanding of Jesus’ powerful quiet presence with me in my storm.

How bout you?

Jesus took authority (his authority as a son, aware of his identity), took command of the ferocious situation and rebuked the elements of the storm that needed to be rebuked. (A lesson afresh to me today).

He miraculously shifted the atmosphere by the power of his commanding, life-impacting words. Our words have the power of life or death. We get to choose.

He activated his faith in the knowledge of his good, good Father with him and the Spirit of God upon him, and put his faith to work.

All of us have faith of some kind. Even those who say they are athiests – for, if you ask me and many others, it takes a lot of extra faith to believe God doesn’t exist, than that He does.

Therefore again, as Jesus asked, “Where is your faith?”

Whatever “storm” you are facing tonight (for I know there are many of you out there facing very hearty, heavy challenges), whether it be health-related, financial, relational, work-related or beyond.

May we come afresh to Jesus in the boat with us, and ask him to stop us drowning. May we experience him calming the storm to the point of our amazement and holy fear, just like those early disciples here in Luke 8.

May his tangible presence with us cause us to have to think about and ask oursleves, as Jesus did, where actually IS my faith?

May we stand in fear and amazement at the end of the storm he accompanies us in, asking and noting, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

May we ponder again this next week of Lent 2023…

… where is my faith?

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