By Katy Mariotti

Fear and Trust

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“He said to them, ‘Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.'”
Matthew 17:20 English Standard Version

Oh, the ocean. I have an ocean problem. I’m drawn to it. Anytime we go on vacation, that’s the only place I want to go. And yet, of course, it also terrifies me. We just got back from a vacation to the ocean, which was wonderful. But I am currently pregnant and I noticed my fear of the ocean was even greater than usual.  Because if I get knocked down by a rogue wave, the baby gets knocked down too.

As I stood on the beach and watched the waves, I marveled at how they don’t stop. No matter what, they just keep coming. And then suddenly, for just a moment, they DID stop. Everything got quiet. I immediately thought about Jesus in the storm, calming the waves. And honestly, the waves stopping suddenly was kind of terrifying too. Because as humans I don’t think we comprehend God’s power. In fact, I have a hard time really trusting it sometimes.

Have you ever prayed the same prayer a hundred times and still feel like it’s getting you nowhere? That there’s not even a yes or no answer, just no answer at all? Have you ever read the passage about moving mountains, and thought “okay, but really? There’s no way a mountain would just jump up and move.” And yet, God is so powerful that it can be a little scary. The ocean is vast and mysterious and yet, God made it and is MORE powerful than the ocean.

I think one of the best ways to understand God’s power, next to reading the Bible, is reflection. It may not feel like God is answering prayer right now, but look back on your life. Think of all the things you used to pray for that you have now. Think of the ways God has protected you and moved you to where you were supposed to be. And the best part? The God who is so powerful is not like images of the Greek gods, far away from us on Mount Olympus, meddling in human lives for their own gain and uncaring. The real God is all-powerful, and He LOVES us. He came to be among us and sacrificed His only Son for us.

I pray we can stand in awe of God’s power and learn to trust it!

Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado