Where is
Your Faith?
Read
Luke 8:22-25
"They
went to him and woke him up, shouting, "Master, Master, we are
perishing!" And he woke up and rebuked the wind and the raging
waves; they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, "Where
is your faith?" --Luke 8:24-25
It
is hard for me to believe that my tenth wedding anniversary will be
this year! I remember, as though yesterday, our beautiful little
wedding (right outside in the church garden with only a handful of
friends and family), and the celebration we had a few months later in
Pennsylvania for my large extended family and friends. I was the only
one in my immediate family born in Michigan; the rest were from the
Allegheny mountain region of Pennsylvania. It was always my dream to
have my wedding celebration in the tiny country church next to my
Grand-mother's old farmhouse, in Fallen Timber, Pennsylvania, which
is part way up the side of a mountain. The area is gorgeous, and I
used to spend summers there as a child. The day of the family
celebration was wonderful, and the wedding ceremony, conducted by a
country preacher, Rev. Warful, very moving. He asked my husband,
Kelly and I, if we had a particular piece of scripture that we wanted
to use in the service. We decided on the story of Jesus calming the
sea, as sailing has been a big part of both of our lives, and we
absolutely love the water. In his sermon, Rev. Warful pointed out
that the only answer that we can give to Jesus' question in the
gospel passage we had chosen is, "Our faith is in you, Master!".
As
many of my church friends know, our marriage has been eventful, to
say the least, from practically the first day. Major surgery for both
of us, a triple by-pass for Kelly, multiple hospitalizations, lost
jobs, Kelly's heart attack and three strokes, many, many EMS runs to
save Kelly's life, a major car accident and other problems of a more
personal nature have been a major part of our life together over the
past decade. Yet today, our marriage, and our faith, is stronger than
ever. We have come to learn that the only security and constant in
our somewhat tumultuous lives is the Lord, and we have learned to
place our problems in his hands. With Jesus' help, our marriage has
survived and our love for each other grown immensely. I've often
thought about what Rev. Warful told us when we stood before him as
newlyweds, ten years ago. He was so right!
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for the gift of faith, and teach us to place
our daily concerns in your merciful and protective hands. Amen.
Thought
for the Day: The Lord is always with us, including in times of great
trouble.
Prayer
Focus: Those struggling with marital problems.
Joyce
Reynolds
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