Thoughts from the road - Part 1 - Hazardous Driving Conditions
Have you ever noticed, after it has been dry for awhile, then rains, the rainbow colored patches on the road? They are caused by oil and fluids dripping from cars while they are stopped. The oils settle on the pavement. When it rains, the oils float on top of the water, and create a hazardous condition. If the tires on your car don't have much tread, you can hydroplane as you go down the road. There are many other hazardous driving conditions, but they all seem to have one thing in common, what you do in the first few seconds usually determines the outcome... When you hydroplane, do you let off the gas, or slam on the brakes and risk a skid? Sometimes, no matter what we do, nothing works.
Life can be much the same way. When something bad happens or when something bigger than anything we can stop, what we do in those first few seconds can be critical... Do we turn to God, or do we try to work things out ourselves?
Matthew 8
23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him.
24 Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.
25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"
26 He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
27 The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!"
Do we try to work it out ourselves, or do we wait to see what God will do? We must keep in mind, that it is in His time, not our time.
Matthew 14
15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food."
16 Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."
17 "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered.
18 "Bring them here to me," he said.
19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.
20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Then, in Chapter 15, another large crowd has formed...
32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way."
33 His disciples answered, "Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?"
34 "How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked.
"Seven," they replied, "and a few small fish."
35 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground.
36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people.
37 They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
38 The number of those who ate was four thousand, besides women and children.
How many times have we done that? God does something big in our lives, then before long, we seem to forget. Then, the next storm occurs, and we are there in the boat that is rapidly filling up with water. Do we cry out for God to help us, or do we try to find some other way to get through? We should let God use what little we have --- He can do something big with it.
The following is from the song, "Like the Rain", by Clint Black ( I added ", Jesus" to three lines):
I never liked the rain 'til I walked through it with you, Jesus
Every thundercloud that came was one more I might not get through
On the darkest day there's always light, and now I see it too
But I never liked the rain 'til I walked through it with you, Jesus
I hear it pouring through the night, filling up my mind
All of heaven's rivers come to life, I see it all unwind
I hear it talking through the trees, and on the windowpane
When I hear it I just can't believe I never liked the rain
When the cloud is rolling over, thunder striking me
It's as bright as lightning and I wonder why I couldn't see
That it's always good and when the flood is gone we still remain
Guess I've know all along I just belong here with you, Jesus
It is in those times that we are broken and can't seem to go on, that God wants to draw us near...