What kind of man, indeed. Turning typhoon time into nap time. Silencing waves with one word. Max Lucado
What kind of man?
When I thought about the devotional from Max Lucado I realized with a deeper sense of understand that we all start out just like the disciples. We begin a journey with Christ by following Him and all the while wondering what kind of man is this Jesus. We follow him and with each amazing miracle and enormous crowd that gathers we ask ourselves, "What kind of man is this?"
Then, without warning, in the very midst of goodness or on the heals of a fruitful event we are locked and loaded, desperately struggling and in deep fear for our very lives, as we go through a trial. We bail water, panic, cry, yell, scream, turn into the brightest shade of red and fly into rage as the rain continues to drench and pour down on us. We exhaust ourselves in the unending, and utterly unfruitful works of worry and fighting the storm in our own power. In the midst of this desperate battle where out wits are stretched and our resources prove limited and ineffective we glance with wearied eyes to the man in the boat. When we look over to the bow, the stern, or even perhaps as we step over and around Him in our panic, we see Jesus. He is asleep in our darkest, deepest, most threatening moment and now we wonder, what kind of man is this.
Who sleeps in a storm? Who can rest at a time like this? We wonder what man doesn't care about the fact that we are perishing? Indeed, we wonder what kind of man.
We shake, cry and scream - don't you care. When he wakes, he doesn't rush, doesn't panic, and flail like we do. No, instead, he stands with His mighty frame fixed and unafraid in the spray and the gusts. We are amazed at the overwhelming contrast between our shivering and quivering and His fixed, steadfast and calm demeanor. As the gusts threaten to blow us off course and the waves continue to pound and hammer the boat, Jesus says three words. "Peace be still!"
That is all it takes and the storm stills, the waves relax and the angry and violent sea rolls flat and still like pure glass. The thick fog that weighed down your hope lifts and the spray and wind that spewed, howled and roared suddenly ends. In that moment - that moment when true peace transcends the moment we wonder again - what kind of man.
What kind of man? He is the perfect man. He is the Son of Man and the Son of God. He is the Savior of man and the man of many sorrows who was slain for our sins. In our pinch He is our man. In God's arsenal He is THE MAN. John says it best when he calls him the Alpha and Omega, the Lamb of God, the one who is, who was, and who is to come. He is the word made flesh. The one who dwelt among us. He is not only man, but He is God. To take one of Max Lucado's phrases, "No wonder we call him savior."
Amazing God, help us to reflect on the power and majesty of who you are and give you unending praise, worship and thanksgiving. We are eternally grateful that you are beyond and in our midst - and the sacred Son of Man.
Mark 4:39
Then He arose and rebuked the wind,
and said to the sea, "Peace be still!"
And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
Philippians 2:6-8
Who, although He existed in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but emptied Himself taking the form of a bond-servant,
and being made in the likeness of men.
Being found in appearance as a man,
He humbled Himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death, even on a cross.
With love (& in triumph),
Cassius
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