Against the Wind...
Psalm 55:9-15
Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words,
for I see violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they prowl about on its walls;
malice and abuse are within it.
11 Destructive forces are at work in the city;
threats and lies never leave its streets.
12 If an enemy were insulting me,
I could endure it;
if a foe were rising against me,
I could hide.
13 But it is you, a man like myself,
my companion, my close friend,
14 with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship
at the house of God,
as we walked about
among the worshipers.
15 Let death take my enemies by surprise;
let them go down alive to the realm of the dead,
for evil finds lodging among them.
Leviticus 20:9-21:12
22 “‘Keep all my decrees and laws and follow them, so that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. 23 You must not live according to the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them. 24 But I said to you, “You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the Lord your God, who has set you apart from the nations. 25 “‘You must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds. Do not defile yourselves by any animal or bird or anything that moves along the ground—those that I have set apart as unclean for you. 26 You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own. 27 “‘A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.’”
Mark 6:45-56
Jesus Walks on the Water
45 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.47 Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 51 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened. 53 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. 54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. 55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.
Reflections: The psalmist struggles that it was one of his close personal friends, someone who was supposed to be part of the covenant people of god who betrayed him. He reflects that it is easy to fight an enemy that you know is coming at you, but when it happens from within it is particularly disturbing. I think one of Satan’s main strategies is to create division from within rather than from without. It is very important that leaders in churches don’t allow the evil one to sow seeds of discord so that our enemies become each other.
Then, in Leviticus, after an exhaustive list of immoral behavior, and the penalties for it, the writer clarifies the purpose of all these laws; that the Israelites might be set apart from the people whose land they would soon be occupying. The purpose being God was driving out all these people because of their sin and wickedness, and he had set apart Israel to be holy and pure to show them the true God! Verse 26 gives them the reason they are to be holy as God says, “You are to be holy because I am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.” Holiness is not meant to draw attention to us but God and to show whose we are.
In our gospel lesson, Jesus sends the disciples out to spend alone time with His Father to pray. But in the middle of his time Jesus realizes the disciples are out in the boat struggling against the wind. He intends to pass them by (we are not sure why), but the disciples recognize him and call out to him. Immediately he tells them it is him and calms the waters. They were amazed that even the wind and waves obeyed him and apparently they had not yet connected the feeding of the 5,000 with his miraculous power.
In each of these lessons we see it is only through God’s power and surrendering to him that we find rest. David found rest despite the betrayal of his best friends. The Israelites could only be holy because God was holy, and they were called to represent him in His power not their own. The disciples straining against the wind could only be helped by the own who created the wind and the waves.
Where are you straining against the wind in an effort to get where Jesus wants you to go? Are you tired of trying to create your own holiness? Are you discouraged because those you thought were friends were really not? Jesus sees your struggling and wants to help. As you call out to him, he will get in the boat with you to get to the other side.
Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise him, The help of my countenance and my God. Psalm 42:11 (NKJV)
After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen and establish you. 1 Peter 5:10
Jesus, you know our sorrows and our struggles. We pray for renewal and strength, not only for ourselves but for all those who are weak and discouraged today. Wrap us in your comfort; restore us to your service. Amen.
Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words,
for I see violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they prowl about on its walls;
malice and abuse are within it.
11 Destructive forces are at work in the city;
threats and lies never leave its streets.
12 If an enemy were insulting me,
I could endure it;
if a foe were rising against me,
I could hide.
13 But it is you, a man like myself,
my companion, my close friend,
14 with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship
at the house of God,
as we walked about
among the worshipers.
15 Let death take my enemies by surprise;
let them go down alive to the realm of the dead,
for evil finds lodging among them.
Leviticus 20:9-21:12
22 “‘Keep all my decrees and laws and follow them, so that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. 23 You must not live according to the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them. 24 But I said to you, “You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the Lord your God, who has set you apart from the nations. 25 “‘You must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds. Do not defile yourselves by any animal or bird or anything that moves along the ground—those that I have set apart as unclean for you. 26 You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own. 27 “‘A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.’”
Mark 6:45-56
Jesus Walks on the Water
45 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.47 Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 51 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened. 53 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. 54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. 55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.
Reflections: The psalmist struggles that it was one of his close personal friends, someone who was supposed to be part of the covenant people of god who betrayed him. He reflects that it is easy to fight an enemy that you know is coming at you, but when it happens from within it is particularly disturbing. I think one of Satan’s main strategies is to create division from within rather than from without. It is very important that leaders in churches don’t allow the evil one to sow seeds of discord so that our enemies become each other.
Then, in Leviticus, after an exhaustive list of immoral behavior, and the penalties for it, the writer clarifies the purpose of all these laws; that the Israelites might be set apart from the people whose land they would soon be occupying. The purpose being God was driving out all these people because of their sin and wickedness, and he had set apart Israel to be holy and pure to show them the true God! Verse 26 gives them the reason they are to be holy as God says, “You are to be holy because I am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.” Holiness is not meant to draw attention to us but God and to show whose we are.
In our gospel lesson, Jesus sends the disciples out to spend alone time with His Father to pray. But in the middle of his time Jesus realizes the disciples are out in the boat struggling against the wind. He intends to pass them by (we are not sure why), but the disciples recognize him and call out to him. Immediately he tells them it is him and calms the waters. They were amazed that even the wind and waves obeyed him and apparently they had not yet connected the feeding of the 5,000 with his miraculous power.
In each of these lessons we see it is only through God’s power and surrendering to him that we find rest. David found rest despite the betrayal of his best friends. The Israelites could only be holy because God was holy, and they were called to represent him in His power not their own. The disciples straining against the wind could only be helped by the own who created the wind and the waves.
Where are you straining against the wind in an effort to get where Jesus wants you to go? Are you tired of trying to create your own holiness? Are you discouraged because those you thought were friends were really not? Jesus sees your struggling and wants to help. As you call out to him, he will get in the boat with you to get to the other side.
Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise him, The help of my countenance and my God. Psalm 42:11 (NKJV)
After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen and establish you. 1 Peter 5:10
Jesus, you know our sorrows and our struggles. We pray for renewal and strength, not only for ourselves but for all those who are weak and discouraged today. Wrap us in your comfort; restore us to your service. Amen.
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