Faith Daily | 29 June 2021

PRAYER of the DAY - PENTECOST APBA p552

O God,

who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son

to suffer death upon a cross,

and by his glorious resurrection

delivered us from the power of the enemy:

grant us so to die daily to sin

that we may evermore live with him

in the joy of his resurrection;

through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

GOSPEL for the Day: Matthew 8: 23-27

23And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25And they went and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” 26And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. 27They were amazed, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?”

GOSPEL Reflection: Contributed by: Rev'd David

Amy Carmichael was an Irish missionary who worked in India for 55 years without furlough until her death there in 1951 aged 83. She is known for establishing a safe house called Dohnavur Fellowship where children she rescued from being trafficked in Hindu temples were given a new name and raised to know God’s love. She wrote many books about her missionary work and also inspired other well known missionaries.

She often sent insights to her workers from her own daily devotions. One day she wrote how much she had been helped by two phrases from the passage before us today, “Without warning a furious storm came up…” (Matthew 8:24 NIV) and “Then He got up…” (Matthew 8:26 NIV).

She pointed out that when the storms come, that is when Jesus arises to deal with them.

She wrote that waves and storms are part of life, they come. But when even the smallest genuine cry of faith reaches out to Jesus, He arises and brings peace to cope with them. (Matthew 8:25-26)

There are a number of reflections to instruct us from this passage but I am encouraged and challenged by Amy Carmichael’s thought that with Jesus in our boat, there is no storm we cannot face with Him.

I think St Paul was expressing the same truth when he described his experience with a storm in his own life and how he embraced the Lord’s response to him “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT)

As we face the waves and storms that come our way, let us remember that we have Jesus in our boat, and He is the Lord of peace who promises that peace to us. (John 14:27)

FINAL PRAYER: Jim Cotter “Unfolding the Living Word”

Living Christ of the peace which is beyond our grasp,

refusing to let us escape from all that troubles us,

give us courage to enter the darkness of the storm

that we may discover there the stillness

of your abiding presence.

We pray this in the pattern of Trinitarian love;

Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Amen