When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.

When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.

For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior…

Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you…

Fear not, for I am with you.

In the 4th chapter of the book of Mark, we find Jesus and the disciples making the almost 2-hour trip across the Sea of Galilee. Jesus was exhausted from the long day of ministry and laid down on a pillow in the back of the boat and went to sleep.

While on their way, as can often be the case on the Sea of Galilee, a storm began brewing; a storm like they had never experienced before. The boat was being tossed about like a little toy. The men were terrified! There seemed to be nothing that they could do. The sails were useless and it didn’t matter how much they rowed. The waves were so high that they were breaking over the boat, filling it with water. They were out of control and they knew it. They were afraid for their very lives and desperate for help. Suddenly, they remembered their passenger. He was peacefully sleeping; what a beautiful picture! I should say, it’s a beautiful picture for the reader. The disciples didn’t exactly see it that way. In the midst of the tumult, in the middle of the wind and rain, thunder and lightning, Jesus is peacefully resting.

Mark 4:38 and onward reads, 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?” 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. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” As I read this story, there is something that jumps out at me…their questions are filled with an incredible amount of ignorance. They are so afraid that their minds are numbed and clouded by the situation. Consequently, they ask a very narrow sighted question, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Essentially they are asking, “Are you so unmindful of us that you can just lay there and sleep, careless of whether we live or die? Is this how you care for us who have left all to follow you?”

They had fallen into the trap that is so common even today. Sometimes we can be so focused on ourselves and our own apparently impossible situation that we forget that God is with us. This was their condition. They forgot who was in their boat. They were so concerned for their own survival that they didn’t realize that if they were going to sink, so was Jesus.

PC:TrevorMahlmann

Romans 8:35-39 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

If they would have thought things through, their reaction would have been much different. They wouldn’t have been afraid or had to work so hard. They wouldn’t have thought and spoken insulting words. They would have understood that He who created the wind and the waves was with them; that the Creator cannot be destroyed by His creation. They would have known that they are far safer in the storm with Him, than in the calm without Him.

While we are in the midst of the storm, when the waters are breaking over and we feel as though were about to sink, thoughts and questions may come such as, ‘Why are we allowed to suffer like this? Has God forgotten us? Doesn’t the Master care about us?’ How many times is our Savior hurt and disappointed by the the way we respond to the trials and difficulties in our lives?

As we look at this story, I want to draw out 2 points:

1. The Master was with them. He was in the “trouble” with them.

2. While He was seemingly indifferent to their fate, He was actually suffering with them. Isaiah 43:2-5 does a great job communicating this “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God… And I have loved you…Fear not, for I am with you.” While the disciples fear had washed away any faith and trust, yet the Creator was still with them. 2 Timothy 2:13 says, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” It is experiencing the faithfulness of God that our faith in Him grows. He is faithful and will always be faithful. Hebrews 13:25 states, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” What a joy and comfort it brings when we understand that Jesus shares in our troubles! He is not only aware, but feels our pain.

We don’t need to be filled with fear when in the middle of the storm or any other time. “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? … Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword… For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35-39. What a powerful promise to those who love and serve Him; to those who have fully surrendered their lives to Him! Whatever the danger, however great the storm, we can be calm in the confidence of knowing that He who rules all things is with us.

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Listentosomegreatstorieshere!

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CanYouSolveIt?

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butI’mnotagameofsoccer

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A special thank you to each of our teachers, parents and students. You have

worked hard to make this time of distance learning a success. The Lord has truly blessed

our efforts. We are so thankful for the wisdom and guidance that God has given to each one

through this time. We have 5 weeks remaining for the school year. Please keep each one

lifted up in prayer. During this time of social distancing, we don’t want to lose sight of our

mission as a school family, to share the good news of Jesus soon coming and seeking ways

to be a blessing to others. Let’s pray that God will give us discernment and wisdom to see

the opportunities around us.

Kids Papers Hey Kids!

Your Sabbath School handouts; Little Friends, Primary Treasures, and Guides are in the blue tote by the school entry.

Stop by and get yours.

Elijah Boerchinger – 2nd Russel Berger Sr – 5th Nancy Messersmith – 10 Jennifer Haskell – 11th Bailey Kleikamp – 12th Christy Wolf – 14th Shaun DeGrave – 15th Bert Boroughf – 17th Vivian Preston – 17th Cathy Buell – 18th Doug DeGrave – 23rd Jake Zinke – 24th Lucia Messersmith – 27th Jim Pierce – 27th Natosha Walechka – 30th

ThankyousomuchfortakingtimetoreadthisissueoftheChurchNewsletter!Ifyouhaveannouncements

thatyouwouldlikeincludedinnextmonth’sissue,pleaseemailmeatamiehubbard.ah@gmail.com.Iamopento

feedbackandwouldlovetohearwhatyouthinkorifyouhaveideasofwhattoinclude.Wemisseachofyouand

praythatyouenjoytheupdateandopportunitytoconnect.

Dear Church Family,

Anotherweekhasflownby,andourhomeissettlingintoitsnewroutine.Distance

learningforourchildrenisgoingbetteraswelearnhowtosharetimeonline.Sincewe

don’thaveinternetathome,theydependonourphonestoaccesstheinternet.Thathas

madelifeinteresting!Soifyoucall,pleaseleaveamessagesowecangetbackwithyou.

GodalwaysgivessomanyblessingseveninthedifficulttimesandwehaveseenHishand

atwork.Wehaveenjoyedhavingallourchildrenhomeandgettingtospendmoretime

together.However,wemissallofyou!Wemisssingingtogether,worshipingtogether,

prayingtogether.Wearetryingtostayasconnectedaspossibleduringthistimeofsocial

distancing,andtrulyappreciatehearingfromyou.Wepraythattheweeklysermon

postedonYouTubeisablessingtoyou.PrayingthatthepeaceofGodfillseachofyour

heartsandthatyoufeelHissweetpresenceinyourhomes.

Many Blessings,

Pastor Tom and Amie Hubbard and family

BOOKS OF THE BIBLE WORD SEARCH

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