Nougat 25

Hello siblings

Has your walk with Jesus been wholly consistent, or were there a few bumps in the road? Mine has been a proper tertiary, maybe quaternary-styled road, complete with potholes, bushes, and perhaps even surprise creatures/humans suddenly passing along the way (forcing sudden stops). I’d say there’s been some major detours, some essential, others self-inflicted, but the journey continues. And, if I were to be honest with you, there’ve also been moments when I wondered if I left Jesus behind somewhere.

Does any of that sound familiar? If not, I hope it was a much better ride. If yes, we’re in good company – the disciples also had such moments. Consider Today’s Holy Nougat

“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?” Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭4‬:‭38‬, ‭40‬ ‭NLT‬‬

They’d been all over with Him. Or at least a few places. They knew the extent of His power or some of it. But when caught in that storm with the reality of their finite mortality before them (die to their inability to swim), they couldn’t ‘feel’ Him. It was as though Jesus was not in the boat.

Maybe they thought it was the sign of Jonah, for he also slept while the storm raged at sea. Could Jesus have deserted God’s plan? Was Jesus even the Son of God, for if He was the Son of God, shouldn’t He have helped them through the storm? Didn’t He care that they all were about to die?

I’ve been there a time or two on my quaternary-styled road. When the pothole gave way to a cliff, literally, because of land slippage (with me chaperoning youth en route a campsite), I had a moment. And on the spiritual journey … well, let’s just say my faith has been sorely and surely tested. There were times when I wondered if I’d inadvertently left Jesus behind.

But here’s the joyful news from the other side of the bumpy ride. Jesus is with us. He is definitely our Emmanuel, God with us. He is our Saviour, He cares whether we drown or not. And when we cry out to Him, we are guaranteed that He will answer. He even sent us God’s Spirit to confirm that all He’s promised is True. ‘Sleeping’ or not, we can count on Jesus.

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May all we seek be found in Christ