“But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. ”                                                                                      Luke 8:23, KJV

MONDAY MORNING MANNA

What if anything has been your life-changing moment? A life-changing moment is that point at which you realize that God is in control and that He has arranged all kinds of U-Turns along life’s journey for you to recognize that your life is out of control unless He is leading it.  That epiphany came to me one night while on military duty in Baghdad, Iraq.  My flight had just arrived in Baghdad around midnight and after just fifteen minutes or so, I received news that I would be leaving by convoy with the United States Marines.  Once the Marines showed up to get me and four other soldiers they shared with us that we would be traveling for one hour on the back of one of their pick-up trucks at speeds of over seventy miles per hour with the lights off.  These were the necessary precautions we were taking during that time because of the significant threat in the region.  Oftentimes terrorists would place bombs alongside the roadways.  Their technique was to throw a female out in front of military vehicles and once the driver slowed down to avoid hitting her the bomb would be detonated killing everyone in the vehicle and especially those on back of the truck.  To say the least, I was literally shaking in my boots!  Nonetheless, I mounted the back of that pick up and prepared myself for the long and dangerous ride.  I distinctly remember praying as hard as I ever have that God would allow me to arrive safely and of course He did.  That was the start of my rededication to Him and not one day since that evening have I looked back as that truly was a life changing moment in my life.  Life-changing moments are unique to specific people which is to say that my moment won’t be yours and neither will yours be mine.  In fact, the only thing true about all life-changing moments is that they are ordained by God to get our attention to the obvious fact that He and He Alone deserves to be the head of our lives.

Earlier this week, I took notice of Ms. Alice Johnson as she spoke of her life-changing moment.  Ms. Johnson was convicted on eight federal counts in 1996, for her involvement in a cocaine trafficking organization in Memphis, TN.  While imprisoned Alice got involved in the drug game after she lost her job at FedEx where she had worked for ten years.  Alice was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole and after serving almost twenty years of her sentence she was pardoned by President Trump.  Alice immediately began participating in re-entry programs, one of which was done on video and unbeknownst to her the video was seen outside of the prison by Kim Kardashian West. Kim began advocating for Ms. Johnsons release on the grounds that her punishment was excessive and an example of disproportionate impacts on African Americans.  Since her release in 2018, Johnson has become an advocate for criminal justice reform in the United States, often invoking her personal experience. The month after her release, in July 2018, she called for an end to mandatory sentencing and in September 2019, she met with Governor Bill Lee of Tennessee to promote greater access to expungement, prisoner education and reduction in barriers to reentry and to express concerns about the cash bail system.

I became interested in Alice’s story just last week as I watched her give a very moving speech at the Republican National Convention on Thursday, August 27^th.  The now sixty three year old Ms. Johnson stood on that stage and ignited the crowd with her personal story of how God had changed her life through the experience of incarceration.  Brothers and Sisters, all of us will receive moments along lifes journey where we can replace our ME with a HE (Jesus).  The place at which we make such a declaration will become the starting place from which our life changes for the better.  Such was the case with regard to the disciples in this particular passage of scripture.

At the time of this text Jesus has been teaching by the Sea of Galilee. It was there that He informed His hearers about the importance of the Word of God by using the example of seeds. He says as much in verse eleven by stating that the Seed of which He spake is the word of God. Most notably in verse fifteen Jesus says that the Word of God has fallen on good ground when it hits an honest and good heart, which having heard the word, believes it, and it brings forth fruit with patience.

My friend, it is the aim of God that everyone of us hear His Word because faith comes by hearing but also that we act upon everything we’ve heard in His Word by faith, so that in His time after we’ve waited patiently we can begin to see the results that only faith can deliver. The life-changing event for the disciples happened in verses twenty two through twenty six.  At the onset of this event Jesus tells His disciples to get into the boat with Him so they can travel to the other side of the lake.  Once on the boat Jesus takes a nap in the bottom of the boat and just as they were half way to shore a storm breaks   out and begins to fill the boat with water.  In response, the terrified disciples awaken Jesus who then gets up, speaks to the wind and tells it to calm down which it did immediately.  Following his calm of the wind and water then Jesus, asks the men, Where is Your Faith?, inculcating that they too could have done what He just did if they had adequate faith. 

Beloved, perhaps the most intriguing part of this story is that Jesus knew everything that was going to happen yet He still took a nap.  Because He is all-knowing, He knew that this journey was dangerous.  Prior to Him telling them to go into the water He knew the storm was coming and that water would fill the boat and He had to have known that the men were going to be terrified.  My question is why would Jesus knowingly send His brothers into a storm? The answer is simply that He knew that because of the storm their faith would become stronger so He allowed if for the greater life-changing reward of faith that would be realized.  Maybe you are in your own kind of storm right now.  Yours may not be Alice Johnsons incarceration nor even my experience in war because your storm is unique to you but as is true of all storms it won’t last always and this very one could very well be your life-changing experience should you allow it to be so.  With all that’s been said, it’s my appeal to you that Jesus be accepted as your personal savior today! Allowing Him to change your life beginning right now will be the best decision you’ve ever made because in the midst of storms it’s always better to have Him and not need Him than to Need Him and not have Him!   

In Jesus’ Name,