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Has God Fallen Asleep?

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In the 1999 movie “Instinct,” Anthony Hopkins plays an anthropologist and primatologist, Ethan Powel, who is being held in a maximum security prison for the critically insane. Cuba Gooding’s character is an ambitious psychiatrist, Dr. Theo Caulder, who is asked to evaluate Powel. At one point in the movie, during a private session, Powel overcomes Dr. Caulder and holds him in a neck-breaking choke hold. Powel (Hopkins) demands that the psychiatrist tell him what he’s lost. Dr. Caulder responds by saying, “Freedom, I’ve lost my freedom.” Hopkins character tightens his grip and says, “Wrong, Bougerious! You have one more chance to tell me what you’ve lost. What have you lost user?” Dr. Caulder (Gooding) responds like a man defeated by truth, “My illusion, I’ve lost my illusion.”

WE find another seeming illusion in Mark 4:35-38: On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

These were seasoned fishermen acquainted with the storms of the Sea of Galilee that even recently have had waves reaching to heights of over 70 feet. Why would the Disciples feel the need to wake Jesus? Could it be that they were annoyed that while they were concerned about the worsening conditions of their plight – He was oblivious, or so it seemed. To those 12 Disciples it appeared that God’s Messiah had fallen asleep during their troubles, and peril. The truth of their circumstances was that the ship was going down! Jesus, God’s Messiah, was asleep and we all are about to die. But what were they basing their confidence in: what they could perceive through their senses; their experience as fishermen; their great wisdom; their understanding of Bible promises? While meeting Jesus out in the Wilderness, outside the camp, circumstances, feelings, your physical senses, perspectives, wisdom, experience, and knowledge – may all seem to scream at you that God has passed you by; that you are distant from the Lord; or even worse – God has abandoned or rejected you.

Yet, Truth never sleeps. His body may have nodded off. But the Truth of their circumstances was that Jesus’ Spirit Man was fully awake. They simply needed to hear Truth speak, trust Him, and watch as He changed their perspective regarding their circumstances.

What do you do when you find yourself in a similar circumstance? You ask several questions of the Lord:

  1. Where is Jesus – the Truth, in my circumstances, feelings, and experiences?
  2. What is Truth doing in and through my circumstances?
  3. What does Truth have to say about my circumstances?
  4. What is the Truth of my situation based not on my experiences, or feelings, but on what the Spirit says?
  5. What is God’s revealed Word, and revelation to me about those circumstances?
  6. Pray and ask, How can I cooperate with You Lord through my circumstances? How can I be pro-active and persevere through them?
  7. What would Faith do, and where, and on Whom would, and should it be focused?

In the wilderness the test is always about: Who and what is your center? A self-centered perspective responds through self-centered values, and interests. A Jesus-centered perspective responds in and through faith (fruit of the Spirit), knowing that Jesus is the Same, Yesterday, Today and Forever. He was right next to the 12 Disciples in the boat, and in charge during the storm of their crisis of belief. He is right next to you, and in charge through the wilderness of your crisis of belief situation. He is Yahweh – the Great I AM. Not I was, nor will I be. He is the same – He hasn’t gone anywhere. So who has moved? Who or what were you looking at? What were you looking for? Let Faith arise – by the Spirit. Live in His NOW. Turn, by Faith, to look to Jesus. Move towards Jesus – through the Spirt, and His Faith.

Don’t Pass Me By

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A man recounts a time when he had to enter the military while the draft was still in place: I didn’t enlist in the Army — I was drafted. So I wasn’t going to make life easy for anyone. During my physical, the doctor asked softly, “Can you read the letters on the wall?” “What letters?” I answered slyly. “Good,” said the doctor. “You passed the hearing test.”

In the last meditation, The Call of the Wilderness, we discovered the call to seek God through prayer and fasting is a call to seek to join Jesus in the wilderness. This call turns into a series of tests similar to Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness. We see this “testing” taking place throughout Scripture. In Marks Gospel it states: And having seen that they were troubled and tormented in [their] rowing, for the wind was against them, about the fourth watch of the night [between 3:00-6:00 a.m.] He came to them, walking [directly] on the sea. And He acted as if He meant to pass by them,…(Mark 6:48) In the Gospel of Luke another account is given of Jesus passing by: As He came near to Jericho, it occurred that a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. And hearing a crowd going by, he asked what it meant. They told him, Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. (Luke 18: 35-37) Another passage in Luke reveals a similar theme: Then beginning with Moses and [throughout] all the Prophets, He went on explaining and interpreting to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning and referring to Himself. Then they drew near the village to which they were going, and He acted as if He would go further. But they urged and insisted, saying to Him, Remain with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is now far spent. So He went in to stay with them. (Luke 24:27-29)

When we are seeking God through prayer, fasting, or simply trying to draw nearer to Him, it appears that Jesus has passed us by. Even more painful than this is the news of someone He hasn’t passed by. The news that he has healed them, come near to them, or performed some outrageous miracle – while you sit alone with no answer. Jesus has passed you by – or so it seems.

Truth, we know is more than a concept, but a Person – Jesus, the Christ. And Truth lies hidden in these moments in which it appears Jesus has passed us by. Truth lies hidden in the Gospel accounts that apply to all of us who may feel neglected, or hidden in the wilderness. In the passage of Jesus walking on the water there’s an overlooked detail. Jesus had sent His disciples to go ahead of Him in their boat to the other side so that He could pray. While praying a storm broke out. This storm was no ordinary storm. Many scholars believe it was demonic in origin. It is a known fact that the location of the Sea of Galilee, which is 686 feet below sea level, and surrounded by mountains (Mt. Hermon rises to the altitude of 9,232 feet), that unusual and violent storms break out on its waters. Waves have reached levels of 70 feet or more. While encountering this storm, seasoned fishermen assumed they were going to die. Just hours before they had watched as Jesus miraculously fed 5000 men (not counting the numbers of women and children) fish and bread. Now all of that seemed a distant memory as their small, sailing boat was tossed by the winds in the middle of the sea. Mark’s account suggests that, since they were sailing against the wind, they were “straining at rowing,” a word which conveys the sense of torture, or distress. They had endured this nautical torment for “three or four miles” (Jn. 6.18), and were still no closer to their ultimate destination. Both Matthew and Mark indicate that the disciples were still enduring this hardship “in the fourth watch of the night” — somewhere between three and six in the morning (Mt. 14.25; Mk. 6.48)! Yet, while they were at the end of their strength, Jesus appears, walking on the water. To make matters worse, it appears, He is going to pass them by. But take notice: they were at the end of their strength. When it appeared that the blind beggar was going to be passed by he cried out for the Lord to have mercy on him. The crowds attempted to silence his enthusiasm but this only encouraged him to cry louder. The disciples on the road to Emmaus were kept from recognizing Jesus and when it appeared that He was going to keep walking, they urged and insisted that He remain. They all passed the test. They didn’t give up in their seeking, and they didn’t give in to feelings of rejection and self-pity. A demonic storm, darkness, physical blindness, pressure from crowds to be silent, and the crucifixion, and death of Messianic salvation were not enough to prevent them from seeking.

In the silence of the wilderness what will you do? Will you keep rowing, crying out, and urging and insisting that Jesus stay with you? Our wilderness is not made for our soul, or carnal man. It is designed to cause our spirit man to rise up and be strong. Are you rising up to meet with Jesus? Are you passing the tests?