Scripture
10So John was beheaded in the prison, 11and his head was brought on a tray and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. 12Later, John’s disciples came for his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus what had happened. 13As soon as Jesus heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. But the crowds heard where he was headed and followed on foot from many towns. Matthew 14:10-13
Observation
And you thought your morning was rough? The day started out with our Savior receiving the horrific news of, not just his cousin John’s death, but his beheading. This was the one who prepared the way for His ministry. This the one who boldly shouted, “Behold The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” This is the one who had a front row seat on his confirmation from The Father and The Holy Spirit as John baptized him. And now… he was dead… after a long time in prison… simply for speaking the truth. Jesus tried to get away to pray, but the need of the crowds blocked his way and caught his heart. In the middle of his grief and loss he set a table for well over 5000 hungry guests. Over the course of these 12 hours Jesus would face one anxiety producing situation after another. Don’t even get me started on the fishermen who set sail in a storm. Second only to the Crucifixion, this was the Savior’s most stressful day. He shows us exactly how to face what life throws at us.
Application
For this is life isn’t it? When it rains, it pours, and we’ve usually forgotten our umbrella at home. Max Lucado wrote a book a while back called, “In The Eye of The Storm”, where he takes this 12 hour day from Hell and breaks it down into three sections that pretty much sum up what each of us are facing to one degree or another right now:
-The Stress of Demands: “Jesus handled twelve hours of chaos. What did he do to keep his cool? What did he know that gave him strength?”
-The Storm of Doubt: “Have you ever found yourself in a storm and wondered why Jesus doesn’t pull you out? The disciples did. While Jesus was up the mountain, they went out on the sea.”
-The Sting of Failure: “If you’ve ever wondered what God does when we fail, then read this section and allow the hand that saved Peter to touch you.”
The demands, the doubt, the failure we face we don’t have to face alone. The not-so-secret way Jesus was able to overcome without being anxious was prayer. All throughout Matthew 14 we read of Jesus praying, walking and talking this all through with The Father and The Holy Spirit. We are invited to do the do the same. Where there is tension we need to pay attention to what God is wanting to do in that situation. According to a recent government recommendation children as young as 8 years old should be screened for anxiety and this ages 12 and over for depression. Our kids are simply mirroring what they are seeing in the adults around them. What if we began to mirror Christ and how He dealt with His stressful days? Our way forward starts on our knees.
Prayer
Jesus, we just heard back from our tax preparer that we owe way more than we thought we would. I invite You into that disappointment and thank You that You have provided for that bill. We just found out a possible buyer for a property Cyndi was showing was just trying to use her for information for his own ends. I invite You into that frustration and thank You that You are our defense and provider. I just got a text from a friend this morning who’s father has been in the hospital for the past couple of days because of problems with his kidney. This health scare is on top of his fight with cancer. She has asked me to come to pray for him. I can’t heal him, but You can. All of these stressful situations are in invitation from You to draw near and follow Your lead.
Comments