The following is an excerpt from a recent sermon series I did @APCofCburg. I pray that you would not feel alone, isolated or abandoned. For God is always with you! But I also want to make sure that you know that we (the church) are here for you also. If you’re not connected with a body of believers, please don’t hesitate to contact me and I will personally connect you with a local church body that you can find fellowship and community.
The Bible goes on to tell us in I Timothy 1:17 (KJV) 17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Now I know that we would have a lot more peace of mind if we could just SEE Jesus all the time, but I want you to understand that invisible is not bad! Let me rephrase, let me put it like this: invisible does NOT mean absent!
I want you to understand right now that just because you can’t keep one eye on Jesus all day every day doesn’t mean that He’s not watching out for you all day every day! He’s got 8+ billion people to worry about…but yet at the same time, He’s got the whole world in His hands! He’s got moms and dads and brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles and grandmas and grandpas to worry about on 7 continents, but don’t you worry because while God might be invisible to you He’s not absent!
Before you go beating yourself up, I want you to remember that it wouldn’t be the first time that somebody panicked because they couldn’t physically see Jesus!
Mark 4:35-38 (KJV) 35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. 36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. 37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
Isn’t this just like the Lord? He retreats away, into the hinder part of the ship, sound asleep on a pillow. In the midst of the storm.
I mean, He isn’t wrong! I love sleeping during a storm! And those that were traveling with Him, of course, completely freak out, and they confuse His comfort, with a lack of caring! Now I know you wouldn’t do that would you? Come on now, really, have you ever thought or maybe even said that before? I’m just not sure that the Lord really cares about me…
Because you can’t see Him, you don’t think He cares about you. So while we’re worried, God’s not worried! He’s got it all under control…and it’s actually quite probable, that everything’s going according to plan (His plan)…not that you like it, and certainly not that you agree with it…but He’s not surprised!
Mark 4:38-39 (KJV) 39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
And Jesus just straight up calls them out! And reminds them that He’s not the one with the problem…but they are the ones with the problem! Do you realize, that most of the time, the problem is often with our faith? Oh yea! Our faith fails us!
So, because we have to SEE Him, and because of the invisible God that we serve, we get nervous, and we get paranoid, and we forget that not in spite of but because of His invisibility, He is also indivisible…He is also omniscient…and most of all is also omnipresent!
I think the problem just continues to be, that in the midst of the storm, we believe that it is in those moments that He’s not with us! But let me remind you of one more thing: He couldn’t be called EMMANUEL if that was the case! Sometimes I wonder if we really understand that (the whole Emmanuel concept that is)? I mean honestly, you’d have to throw the entire Bible away if that were not true!
Because it clearly and explicitly says in Matthew 1:23 (KJV) 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
God. With. Us! He is God with us in the storm, and He is God with us when there is no storm! He is God with us when there are waves, and He is God with us when there are still waters. He is God with us when there is lighting and thunder, and He is God with us when it’s clear and sunny, and 72 degrees. He. Is. Emmanuel! God with us!
To be continued…
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