What I Want for Christmas

I have always believed in the promise of Christmas. There has always been something special to me about this time of the year, going back to my earliest days of childhood.

What is it that we love about Christmas, once we get past the initial trappings?

I think it is the sense of wonder, beauty, and anticipation. It is the music, the look of surprise on a child's face, and the amazing food. It's the companionship of family and good friends. It is also the absence of strife and meanness (that is, with the exception of the crowds on "Black Friday").

Is He Your Captain?

But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net."

— Luke 5:5

 

We find a story in Luke's Gospel about a time when Jesus borrowed Peter's boat to preach to the multitudes. After He had finished speaking, He said to Peter, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch" (Luke 5:4).

Peter replied, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net" (verse 5). I think in all honesty, Peter was respectfully saying to Jesus, "Look, Jesus, you are the man. When it comes to theology, when it comes to telling us about God, you are the authority. We respect you. But you are kind of a landlubber, okay? You don't know the waters like us. We are seasoned fishermen. This is what we do. But at your word, we will do it." The result was they had so many fish that it caused their little boat to start to sink under the weight of them. Then Peter fell down before Jesus and said, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" (verse 8).

Through Rough Waters

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.

— Isaiah 43:2

 

When the disciples faced a violent storm on the Sea of Galilee, they cried out to Jesus, and He stopped it. But first He rebuked them. He asked, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" (Matthew 8:26). In other words, "Hey, guys, where is your faith? Haven't you learned anything?"

We find a little detail in Mark 4:35 that we don't have in Matthew's account of the story: "On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, 'Let us cross over to the other side.' " Jesus did not promise the disciples smooth sailing. But He did promise a safe arrival. They needed to know it would be rough. But Jesus did say, "Let us cross over to the other side." And that means they would get to the other side.

Protecting Storms

Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. . . . Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves.

— Matthew 14:22, 24

 

The Gospel of John records the story of the Feeding of the Five Thousand, which was Jesus' most popular miracle. The people loved it so much that afterward, they came by force to make Jesus their king. But Jesus knew their hearts were wrong. He knew they didn't really want Him to be their Lord and Master; they just wanted a free lunch from that point on.

Perfecting Storms

For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

— 2 Corinthians 4:17–18

 

Probably the most common storms we face in life are perfecting storms. These storms come into our lives as a result of following Jesus. But God has a work He wants to do and a desired result that He wants to produce in these storms. As 2 Corinthians 4:17 reminds us, "For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!"

Storms will come, and in the midst of them, God is doing a work. Sometimes you can see the work, and sometimes you can't. Sometimes that work is simply to conform us into the image of Jesus Christ. Quite honestly, a lot of storms are inexplicable. And when you get to heaven, you will understand why God allowed that storm and why that particular difficulty lasted so long. We can't control our universe. (I have tried, and it doesn't work.) We can't say when a storm will start or when a storm will stop. All we can do is react to that storm.