Daily Bread

And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. A gale arose on the lake, 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?’

Do you ever feel like you're being swamped by the waves, like you're gasping for breath, and going under? And worse, do you shout out to God and it feels like God is asleep? Yep, me too.

There's a Bible quote that Christians often offer to those who are being 'swamped' and it is, "God won't give you more than you can bear." Excuse my language, but 'bollocks'. We can absolutely experience more physical or emotional pain than we can bear, and being offering biblical platitudes out of context does not help!

So, what then? We're supposed to suffer on our own or give up and give in?

My niece was 15 when she took her own life. She was in constant physical agony caused by a suspected neurological condition. Her pain nerves were firing with no physical cause and the pain was 'on' 24 hours a day for 7 days a week for 365 days of the year. She was beautiful, talented, and had a deep faith in Christ. The doctors and consultants could do nothing for her, and her only way out of the pain was death. I cannot imagine the mental anguish she was going through, and although my heart is broken for her and for her family, I cannot judge and certainly cannot not offer platitudes. It was and is truly awful. Yet, she still had a faith, and at her funeral people testified over and over about her relationship with Jesus, so much so that one of my family members, in that tightly packed church hall, had an encounter with the Holy Spirit and turned back to God.

Why am I saying all this? I don't know. Yes, I believe that God has power, and yes I believe that God can calm the storms in our lives, but — and I think this is the important bit — God is with us in those storms. And this is the REALLY important bit. God is with us in the storms through the presence of God in others that journey with us.

We are not alone. When we experience storms and are swamped, we must lean into our church community and allow the Holy Spirit to minister to us through others. Never feel ashamed or unworthy to reach out for help. Do not suffer in silence or think you're 'bothering' people with your burdens. The whole reason the Holy Spirit fills us is so we can support one another (and the world) with love. We are called to be God's presence for one another.

And, if someone who is hurting reaches out to you, be Jesus to them. Allow the Spirit to work in and through you to bring them comfort and peace, to pray with them, to listen, and practically support them, for this is the very definition of 'church'.

Holy God
When the storms of life
are too much for me,
I feel overwhelmed by the waves,
and I struggle to keep
my head above water,
please bring me the support
and encouragement I need,
and minister to me through
the power of the Holy Spirit
at work in my friends
and church family.
In the name of Christ.