by TriosBebe Plus

I awakened this morning with bad news and good news… But, a song, an old Negro spiritual, came to mind: Ride on King Jesus! No man can-a hinder me! Ride on King Jesus, ride on! No man can-a hinder me! No man can-a hinder me! “Have your way, Lord” sprang from my lips; “I trust you, Lord” was next! “Keep me faithful, Lord” came after that!

When it’s so bad and completely out of your control what else can you do? My job is to simply stay in the boat that Jesus has assigned me to. He is my captain and I trust in Him as He steers the Old Ship of Zion! He will provide safe passage for His people indeed He has “landed many a thousand”! I’m going to stay in the boat—The Word. Stay in His word, do it all His way! I will leave the driving to Him as He glorifies Himself! Not for my comfort. Not for my “Word of Faith” prosperity. No! He drives for His glory—as He ought!

The word theodicy comes to mind. God is in this for His glory and rightly so! He started it for His glory. He will finish it for His glory. And He will do so gloriously, as only He can! Nothing should make us believe it will be painlessly accomplished, however. And, He will glorify Himself even in the pain, because He’s awesome like that. We are in a divinely precarious position as a country and I assure you more terrifying things are to come, quickly. You’ve got to get in, if you’re out (but stay in, in case you doubt), the boat.

My assignment is to stay in the boat. But the boat is being tossed to and fro! Again, my job/duty is to stay in the boat. Yes!

There are times, as in Mark 4:35-38, that Jesus does not appear to be as attentive as I would like in the situation, to put it mildly. His slumber only adds to my terror!

The Master appears too unconcerned or perhaps unaware to suit my preferred sense of security. But if I can keep my wits about me, His character will comfort me; for He loves me and He will keep me, if I trust Him—for His name’s sake. And, I’ll tell you what: Jesus can drive the boat in His sleep! Hey! Let me be careful to be faithful, and filled with faith. If I am not careful, I will freak out with anxiety if I let my feelings and or what I see get the best of me. Stay in the boat. If Jesus can rest in the boat and I say I believe in Him, trust Him, profess that He’s all powerful, that He loves me—that He is God? I should be able to at least sit down in the boat, right?

He has faith enough in His power to sleep surely I should, at least, sit. And as I ought to be able to sit, I should sit still in the boat, too, huh? No more fidgeting, I’ll cut out “anxiously looking about me” I will look up instead. When the waves toss high and they cannot be ignored, I will still keep my gaze heavenward.

Why? Because when “all around my soul gives way” surely “He is all my hope and stay”. I am going to stay in the boat. You, too, stay in the boat.

This isn’t political; it’s bigger, so much bigger than politics and politicking; but surely you need to get right lest you risk getting left. What do you mean get right, you say? Get right with God—get on the side of God, the right side of God. Fear no man. Follow no man where God’s Word does not lead but “fools rush in where angels dare to tread”. Wherever God: Elohim, The Creator, The One, The Only Wise God—Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, the only Name whereby men might be saved—The Holy Spirit, the Comforter, Teacher… wherever that God, as He is, in His holiness, is not welcome run away from, and run to Him. Let your love be without hypocrisy. Abhor (reject) that which is evil and cling (hold on for dear life) to that which is good. Get in the boat.

“On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”