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Date of Message : 19 May 2002 Shalom, Boker-Tov, Last week I shared with you the saga of the email fiasco and the potential consequences that could take place during the week that had just past. I was prepared for a rough week with many strongly worded emails from senior management members; however, praise the Lord, not a single email was sent. In fact, strangely enough, there were other emails from other staff in New York who also sent out similar mails to other colleagues cautioning about the so-called virus. The Lord turned my dilemma into a non-event and the Lord showed me that He could turn my troubles into a blessing. Two friends of mine made use of the information given earlier to advise their friends and clients of the hoax and another friend even forwarded my last mail to her friends as an outreach. All praise to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This week, the Lord reminded me of the incident of our Lord
Jesus walking on water as found in Mark 6: 45 - 52: - When the disciples first got into the boat, the Lord went up a mountain to spend time with the Father and also to see His disciples from a high point. The mountain speaks of the place of glory for the Lord Jesus and so when He went up the mountain, we get a picture of Jesus going up to the place of glory at the Father's right hand. Now we read in the scriptures that Jesus went up there to pray just as He is now at the right hand of God the Father representing us to His Father. Jesus kept a lookout for His disciples who were by now somewhere in the middle of the lake and very vulnerable to these strong gushes of wind. The water symbolizes the nations of the world and the storm represents the troubles in life. So here, we have a picture of His disciples (and this could be extended to represent us today) caught in the affairs of the world and being overwhelmed. After visiting Israel, I now have a clearer understanding of the area around the Sea of Galilee (or Lake Gennesaret as it is also called because it is shaped like a harp). On all sides of the lake one can find high mountains except for a narrow strip of the River Jordan which flows right through the lake. Any winds that blow across those high mountains would descend very quickly down the sides and blow right over the lake and cause storms to rise up. The disciples had been rowing against the waves and the winds for quite a while until the fourth watch while coincides with the time bracket from 03:00 AM till 06:00 AM. For those of us who had ever been awake during that time will agree that it is the most difficult time to stay awake as it is the best time for sleep. The disciples were struggling with the storm and right when the situation looked impossible, at the most crucial hour, Jesus appeared to them walking on the waters. The Lord did not remove the storm but He walked on the waters in the midst of the storm. Jesus does the same for us today. Just when the situation gets tough and we need Him most, He will come over our situations and bring us through. Praise the Lord that He does not calm the storm first before He came to the disciples. In spite of their problems, He was there to reinforce their faith in Him. When He stepped into the boat, we read in the account written by Matthew of the same incident that the boat reached its destination in an instant. When Jesus comes into our plans, we will also see the miraculous results in an instant. The Lord Jesus was up on the mountain and from there He could observe every move made by His disciples. Such was the Father's love for His children. In the Book of Genesis, we read of a place called "Beer Lahai Roi" which is Hebrew for "the well where He lives and observes us". In Genesis 16: 7 - 15, we read of the servant concubine of Abraham, Hagar, who was pregnant with Ishmael and she was running away from Sarah, her mistress. She was in the desert and was resting by the spring of water when the Angel of the Lord appeared to her and comforted her advising her to return to her mistress and submit to her. So the spring was named Beer Lahai Roi to commemorate the appearance of the Lord to her. In Genesis 24: 62, we read that Isaac, Abraham's son, was resting by the well Beer Lahai Roi when he saw his future wife Rebekah coming towards him on a camel. He quickly arose and went to meet her. Praise the Lord that Jesus is now exalted at the Father's right hand and He is not only representing us to the Father, but He also watches over each one of us. He notices when we run into our individual storms and He comes to our aid. Isn't that just like Jesus? He loves us so much that He does not abandon us. Although there may be times when we felt that nobody cares for us, Jesus is never far from us. Indeed, we should not forget that this privilege of being watched and receiving help when help is most needed is reserved exclusively for His children and nobody else. The Holy Spirit recorded for our benefit only this incident and there is no parallel story anywhere else. What a privilege we have because He is our Lord and Savior. We belong to Him by faith. My friend, have you given your life to Jesus and invited Him into your heart? Why not seize the opportunity and pray this simple prayer to invite the Lord Jesus into your heart and then you will begin to enjoy the same right to His bountiful riches. "Our Heavenly Father, thank you for the great love
that You have for us in that even whilst we were still sinners, you love
us and sent Your only Son, Jesus Christ, to come into this world, to live
as one of us and to die for our sins. Now that you have received the Lord Jesus into your hearts,
we are children of the Heavenly Father. And because we belong to Him,
no harm shall come nigh to us. The Psalmist declares in Psalms 145: 17
- 20: - The Lord blesses you and keeps you, Have a nice week ahead, shavrou-tov |