FRIDAY, January 28 (Thomas Aquinas)

Mark 6:47-56. They all saw him and were terrified. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

These men were terrified because they were in a storm at sea. Jesus would allay their fear—this time—by delivering them from that peril. If God always, unfailingly, delivered us from things that frighten us, we too would find it easy to live without fear and with-out reproach. But to some or all of these men in the boat Jesus would have to say, later on, that they must be hauled off to prison and to death for his name’s sake. That would be a terrifying ordeal from which he would not deliver them as he did in the present trial. But concerning those coming trials he spoke as he spoke now: Do not be afraid! I am with you always!

Christ does not promise that he will always deliver us from pain, trouble, or death. Sometimes God in his goodness can spare us such suffering, sometimes evidently not. What Christ promises is that if we put our hand in his and walk with him, he will always cast out our fear. On that we can count. Faith delivers us not from disaster but from the only ultimate disaster—despair. (1970)

PRAY for the Diocese of Lusaka (Central Africa)

Ps 40, 54 * 51; Isaiah 50:1-11; Galatians 3:15-22

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Jan 28, 2011 at 8:36 am

Written by Steve Doutt,

Lord, help me to recognize and reach out to any desperate ones that I meet today.

Senior Pastor

Jan 28, 2011 at 10:27 am

Written by John Adler,

Although today's meditation is quite old it is certainly still appropriate. This is one of the more common misunderstandings people have in their theology. It bears frequent repetition.

Thank you,

John

...

Jan 28, 2011 at 11:25 am

Written by Andrea,

John, how do you know it's a mistake to believe God can deliver us from anything? Again and again, the Bible makes this point - God is omniscient and omnipotent. If God doesn't intervene, it is because God chooses not to. So, is it wrong to believe that? And how would you explain your theology to the parents of a 7-year-old dying of cancer? I like the idea of God-with-us, but I think we all do well to remember that everyone's understanding of God is incomplete - including our own. Humility rather than certainty.

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Jan 28, 2011 at 12:05 pm

Written by Bennie,

Andrea, I think you missed John's point which I totally agree with. Many people read this passage to think God will deliver them from the storms of life. That is not His promise. The promise is that He will remove our fears if we allow Him to. I know this lesson very well because I have a special needs son who could be taken from us at any moment for a variety of reasons.

I have been angry with God for many years because of my circumstances and that destroyed my peace - my serenity. As a recovering alcoholic I have discovered that the root of my problems (and there are many) is ultimately fear. My theology was all wrong because I expected the omni-whatever of God to "fix things" so that I would not have to suffer or more importantly to me, that my son not suffer.

Now that I am overcoming my selfishness I can now see the big picture much better. I trust God knows better than I in regards to the "whys" of our circumstances but I am no longer afraid of them...at least today. :)

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Jan 28, 2011 at 2:24 pm

Written by Christopher Matteson,

As we encounter circumstances that cause us to be fearful or bring about negative thoughts, we should remembert those words!

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