Held Hostage!

July 8, 2021

Held Hostage!

There is a great deal going on in my family right now. 

Some are living with cancer or pre-cancer, two are in process of being admitted to nursing homes, and a few have endured major surgeries in the last few months.  One has had their business severely cut back because of past Covid restrictions, one does not have enough money to pay the bills each month, and one had their basement flooded last week.

There is more; I could go on and on!  But, you get the picture.  My description may sound a bit like your family.  There are difficult transitions, serious diseases, and things beyond our control.  There are things that make us sad, things that leave us confused, and things that paralyze us.

We are being held hostage by fear!

The disciples take a boat ride across a very large lake.  Before they reach the other side, a violent storm blows up.  The wind is strong, the waves are high, and the boat is about to sink.  In Matthew 14:26 we hear; “…they cried out in fear.”  Fear is holding them hostage!

The challenge we face during the storm is that we often choose to let the circumstances of the storm move from “out there” on the lake to “in here” in our heart.  We allow our circumstances to so fill our heart that we become a hostage to fear.

The stinky water all over the basement floor, the doctor’s statement that there are no more chemo meds to try, or the pile of bills that cannot be paid can become the only thing we see.  Our fear goes deeper and deeper.  More and more our fear holds us hostage.

When the storm rages, we can choose to be a hostage to our fear or we can choose to trust that Jesus will show up to help and heal.

Unfortunately, when the storm is most intense most people choose to do nothing at all.  They just sit there and convince themselves how awful and how impossible their circumstances are.  They wallow and wail and wait. 

Even those who love Jesus can get so focused on their circumstances that they cannot even see Christ.  The disciples just sit in the boat as it begins to sink.  The wind howls, the waves crash, and the boat fills with water.  Fear has them held hostage.

But Peter stands up and moves toward Jesus.  It was not easy; the wind was making it hard to maintain balance, the bottom of the boat was slick, and the spray from the waves was splashing in his face.  And yet, even when his circumstances seem impossible Peter continues to keep his eyes on Jesus.

As long as Peter keeps his eyes on Jesus and his heart trusting in Jesus, he is able to hear the voice of Jesus and walk in the direction Jesus wants him to go.  However, as soon as Peter looks back to his circumstances, fear takes him hostage again.

In Matthew 14:30 we hear; “But when he (Peter) noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’”  Again, Peter is overwhelmed with fear and begins to sink in his circumstances.  When the bad news keeps coming, it is not easy to keep our eyes on Jesus and our heart trusting Jesus.  We can quickly become a hostage to fear. 

In Psalm 27:1 we are reminded that we can trust in the Lord.  The Psalmist writes; “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” 

The Lord is my strength and my courage and my hope and my help.  When I look to my Lord Jesus, fear cannot take me hostage.  Instead, I delight in the Lord even when my circumstances seem impossible.

Take Delight In The Lord!

Doug