Thoughts
on Michael Wells’ teachings in My Weakness for His Strength - # 85
Michael’s book is
available through:
Abiding Life
Ministries International
Littleton, Colorado
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In
my first reading through this book of Michael’s, “Day 200” has 3 “big!’s” - 2 “Wow!’s”
– 1 “yes!” – and 1 “Amen & Amen!” in the margin of my book. To me, it is that kind of reading. See if you agree with my exclamations…
DAY 200
Miracles
Rooted in Unbelief
And behold, there arose a great storm in the sea, so that
the boat was covered with the waves; but He Himself was asleep.
--Matthew 8:24
I
have two thoughts on this passage. Jesus is asleep, the storm comes, the
disciples are frightened, and they call on Him. Should we not always call on
Him in a storm? Yet when
they call on Him they are rebuked. Why? Jesus had permitted the storm for their perfection, a
process interrupted by unbelief. Jesus stopped the storm, He did a miracle, and all that at
their bidding, but it was not a positive. It was not a revelation of their
importance but of their unbelief. Instead of crying out for the storm to stop,
they should have crawled next to Him and gone to sleep, resting in the storm.
The storm would not have
harmed them either way; it was not the issue. What the storm could perfect in them or expose
in them was the issue. In Christianity today, calling on Jesus and forcing a miracle is viewed
as proof of spirituality, but the opposite is true. Imagine having a rebellious
child; the parents have a choice in that storm: call on Jesus to stop it or lie
down next to Him and rest. I know which one they will do! They will beg for the
storm to stop!
My
second thought is this: We have prayed to share in the power of the resurrection, the fellowship of His
sufferings, and to be like Him in His death. What is the fellowship of His sufferings? It is
many things. However, there is one thing that it must certainly be. If
we are parents, we must have a child that refuses Him. That was His greatest
suffering. All the created
children of God, every one to the last man, refused Him. We must share in that
pain to begin to see just how deeply He suffered. We begin to understand the
gospel as we share in suffering, death, and the power. Suffering comes before the power.
We do not like what is
happening, but we can refuse to beg to be taken out of it, refuse to ask Him to
quiet the storm before the storm has perfected us.
Yellow – VIP, Very Important Point Green
– IT, Incredible Truth
Red – GP, Greatest Promises
Turquoise – UR, Unfathomable Riches Pink
– PV, Priceless Victory
OK…check my markings:
“big!” – “Jesus had
permitted the storm for their perfection, a process interrupted
by unbelief.”
“big!” – “It was not a
revelation of their importance but of their unbelief.”
“big!” – “What the
storm could perfect in them or expose in them was the issue.”
“wow!” – “All the
created children of God, every one to the last man, refused Him.”
“wow!” – “We do not
like what is happening, but we can refuse to beg to be taken out
of it, refuse to ask Him to
quiet the storm before the storm has perfected
us.”
“yes” – “In
Christianity today, calling on Jesus and forcing a miracle is viewed as
proof of spirituality, but the
opposite is true.”
“amen & amen!” – “Instead
of crying out for the storm to stop, they should have
crawled next to Him
and gone to sleep, resting in the storm.”
What did you
think? Agree with me? A wonderful writing giving us some beautiful
truths to think of the next time a “storm” of life comes our way!
This day’s writing
tests our believing, and the faith God has gifted us with when we REALLY
believe Him. This plays off last week’s
email on Day 199. Faith is not
believing. Faith is God’s gift of
solidification of our believing where nothing (circumstances) or no one can
deter us.
What is “walking by
faith”? It is: us believing, God
solidifying our believing by gifting us with His faith to carry on…knowing not,
seeing not…in the storms of life. WOW!
One last thing we must
remember: how quick after salvation we can forget our rejection of Him…”we must
share in that pain to see how deeply He suffered.”
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