Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Today’s Reading  |  Matthew 8:23–27
And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. They were amazed, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?” (NRSV)

Reflection
Consider, for just a moment, what our lives would be like without the burden of needless fear, the kind of fear that holds us back and prevents us from being fully who we are called to be. What if we faced our fears and dealt with them as the disciples faced the storm on the sea? Like the disciples in the boat, we also have God beside us at all times, and we can call on God to quiet the storms in our lives. So “why are you afraid, you of little faith?”

During a rehearsal, I once told the Morning Choir that they sounded afraid of the music and they needed to go headlong into the music and overcome their fear. I told them I have a fear of heights and should parachute out of an airplane to face that fear. I was soon presented with a gift certificate to jump out of a plane, courtesy of the choir. (I’m not sure what that says about my relationship with the choir!) They gave me the opportunity to face my fear, my storm, and quiet it.

What fears do you have? Are you afraid of changing jobs to follow your calling? Or are you afraid of committing to someone in a faithful relationship? Do you have a fear of helping someone because they are different from you? With God by our side, we can face any storm with faith and let go of our fears.

Prayer
God of radiant brilliance, shed your light on my fears, expose them and transform them with your love and grace. Amen.

Written by John W. W. Sherer, Organist and Director of Music

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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