More than you thought!

Happy Thanksgiving, family! I pray that this day is a blessed time for you and yours. I wanted to be able to share a whole entry centered around giving thanks and being blessed but it just isn’t what I got. Sigh…why me, Lord? So instead of all that thanksgiving joy, I woke up with the phrase “stranger in the land” floating around in my spirit. What does that mean?! So I went on a search and found quite a few scriptures that mentioned a similar phrase but the Lord highlighted a passage that seemingly had nothing to do with anything. As I kept reading, I began to understand why. Normally, I don’t do this but I am going to put the whole scripture here for you.

“As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”” (Mark‬ ‭4:35-41‬ ‭NLT)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

You might have to read this again because I want you to get this. Put yourself in the place of the disciples so that you don’t make the same mistake. This scene take place after many parables and much teaching.  Jesus decides that it is time to go to the other side. There is no discussion or questions, He makes the call and they go. On the way, He goes to sleep on the way hoping that what He had taught the disciples was enough to sustain them until they got to the next place. We see that the disciples were unsuccessful because they looked at the storm and forgot what they had with them and they fell apart.

Many of you are going through seasons of transition and you may be struggling through it.  Trust me! I get it because I’ve been there. It can be scary and unsettling when you know you are going somewhere but are unsure of whether you have what it takes to get there. Here’s the thing though. You are not by yourself on the journey. Not only is Christ with you, everything that He has poured into you is with you too. I believe Jesus got so frustrated with the disciples because not only had they gotten the teaching He gave to the crowds plus additional explanation, they had access to Him. He was constantly teaching them.  But instead of standing on what they knew, they jumped to fear. They reverted to how they used to handle things instead of remembering the power that was with them. They forgot that whatever came against them could be handled with a word.

Listen, everything around you may look different. Your next might feel like your last and your now might feel like never but today I am calling on you to step out of your emotions and trust in the facts. You see, the Lord showed me that the idea of being a stranger in the land wasn’t about being lost or scared but rather of being different from where you started. What you are stepping into has already been prepared for you. The land is the other side. Even if you are unfamiliar with what is waiting for you, the process of getting you there has been intentional and strategic. You have been poured into, taught, and equipped for where you are going. Never let what comes up on the journey take you outside of what you know to be true. Everything must bow to the Christ who is with you. So go forth to the other side. You have the Man who controls the winds & the waves with you!

Amen