Who Then is This?

"And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, 'Hush, be still.' And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, 'Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?' They became very much afraid and said to one another, 'Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?" Mark 4:39-41

The winds are howling and the sea is raging. Earthquakes, hurricanes, arctic freeze and excessive heat warnings appear in the news headlines today. Of course, the lead stories on all the news broadcasts in our country center on the contentious election campaigns for President. Watch any amount of television and you will be bombarded with ads for various candidates and propositions. The ad writers make them sound so believable. Every one of them is begging for your vote.

Are you as perplexed as I am at the quality (or lack) of the choices set before us? Habbakuk was an Old Testament prophet who was perplexed at the winds of war blowing in his day. The mighty army of the Babylonians was advancing to take Jerusalem captive. He couldn't believe God would allow such evil to triumph over His chosen people.

"Why do you force me to look at injustice? Why do You tolerate wrongdoing? Oppression and violence are right in front of me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates. This is why the law is ineffective and justice never emerges. For the wicked restrict the righteous; therefore, justice comes out perverted." Habakkuk 1:3-4

But God was doing something for His people they couldn't see. Judgement was coming upon them because they had turned from God and ignored His commandments. He was about to use something so evil to ultimately bring them back into obedience and blessing - to pave the way for their eventual return to the Promised Land.

"Look at the nations and observe--be utterly astounded! For something is taking place in your days that you will not believe when you hear about it." Habakkuk 1:5

Sound familiar? For many it seems that we are witnessing the death knell of our nation, the democracy that has been a beacon to the world for centuries. We struggle to embrace peace in our hearts and minds, to rise above the fear of what we might lose, especially if we vote for the wrong candidate.

We're in a boat with a storm threatening to swamp and sink us. But...Who is in this boat with us? He who has the power to speak a word and immediately change everything. Do not resign yourself to inaction. Look to Jesus to calm your stormy seas.

Jesus stopped the wind. He took away the forces against them. Now they had to do something. They didn't have engines to power the boat. It took man power. They had to row the boat to the shore. 

We, too, need to do something. We are to "occupy" until He comes. We move forward. We take care of our families, our homes, our jobs, our country. We do all of this in faith, knowing that God will use even the things of this world to bring about His purpose. 

Soon we will have the opportunity to cast our votes for a candidate. Please exercise your faith; PRAY and VOTE as the Holy Spirit leads you. 

by Marilyn Allison