Thursday, February 14, 2019

"Asleep, On a Pillow"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

(a repeat from 2010, and one of my favorites)



"Asleep, On a Pillow"



     Winds howled.  Great waves crashed against the ship.  Death by drowning seemed imminent.  Strong, hardy men cried out in terror, fearing for their lives. 

    The Lord Jesus Christ slept on a pillow in the ship's stern.

   "And the same day, when even was come, He saith unto them, Let us pass over to the other side…He was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake Him, and say unto Him, Master, carest Thou not that we perish?  And He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still.  And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm." (Mark 4:38; 41).

  The Lord Jesus slept because He knew that no wind and no sea could capsize a ship whose journey began with His word, "Let us pass over unto the other side."  The storms of our lives belong to our Lord, as the Psalmist declared, "Fire, and hail; snow, and vapor; stormy wind fulfilling His word" (Psalm 148:8).  They cannot blow, nor can they bluster unless He gives them rein to do so.  Sometimes they howl at us personally.  Sometimes they threaten those whom we love.  Sometimes the waves crash against nations and cultures.  Whatever the case, it is good to think of our Lord as "asleep, on a pillow."

  Of course, God does not sleep in the sense of His care for us, or of His working all things after the counsel of His own will. "Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep" (Psalm 121:4).  It remains true, however, that the storms of our lives do not find the Lord Jesus with a furrowed brow, a rapidly beating heart, or hands wringing in frustration or desperation.  In this sense, we therefore do well to see Him sleeping like a baby, without a care in the world.

  We shall pass over to the other side of this day and this lifetime's journey.  Our Savior is the author and the finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).  He knows the past, present, and future of our lives as if they were but one moment.  He knows His infinite capacity to be everything we need Him to be.  Most importantly, He knows His own heart, which is filled with a love for us that "passeth knowledge" (Ephesians 3:19).  No wind can capsize our ship.  No wave can drown us.  No storm can cause that we shall not pass over to the other side.  The One who loves us more than life itself will see to that.

  Thus, let us see our Savior, "asleep, on a pillow."  As long as the One to whom we have entrusted both time and eternity is not overwrought or overwhelmed by our challenges, all will be well.  In this hour, all is well for the trusting sons and daughters of God in Christ.  Our Master has said, "Let us pass over to the other side."  And so we shall…

"When thou passeth through the waters, I will be with thee."
(Isaiah 43:2)
"He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."
 (Philippians 1:6)
"Fear thou not, for I am with thee.  Be not dismayed, for I am thy God.  I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee."
(Isaiah 41:10)

Weekly Memory Verse
   Wherefore He is able to save them to the uttermost who come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them."
(Hebrews 7:25)
    
  

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