Three disasters befalling those who turn away from the Creator

[lukadrower]

Words of the Gospel according to Saint Mark. Mark 4:35-41.
That same day, when evening came, he said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side." So they left the crowd and took Him as He was in a boat, and other boats followed Him. Suddenly a violent wind arose.
The waves were washing over the boat until it was already filling up. He slept in the back of the boat, leaning on the headrest. They woke Him up, saying, "Teacher, don't you care that we are perishing?" He woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the lake: "Be silent! Be quiet!” Then the wind stopped and there was a deep silence.
And he said to them, “Why are you afraid? You still don't believe?” Then great fear came upon them, and they said to one another, "Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"
God does not promise us a life without storms, but He promises us that in our storms He will always be with us. The storm that happened to the disciples on the lake allowed them to discover the mystery of Jesus even more deeply. Who exactly is He?
Nothing helps us discover the presence and power of Jesus like critical situations. On the one hand, we experience great fear, on the other hand, we never feel so close to God.
Our prayers in times of peace are like dusting old furniture with a feather duster. But when a black cloud of danger appears on the horizon, prayer turns into breaking down the door to heaven.
So if you are constantly faced with problems, storms of life, waves of anger from people you work or live with, winds that destroy all the hope you have carefully built up for years, it may be because you have neglected what is essential: prayer!
Perhaps it became so soporific that it even pushed Jesus into a corner, at the "head" of the boat. God "falls asleep" when our prayers put even us to sleep and we no longer want to get out of bed. Would you talk to your most important person while receiving him in bed?
Is it polite to fall asleep in a chair while talking to a guest whom you offered coffee during his visit? Turbulent waters, lightning fire, and violent winds were the three plagues that befell humanity when it turned away from God.
The tribe of Noah was flooded with water, the tribe of Sodom was punished with fire from heaven, and the generation of Babel was scattered throughout the world by whirlwinds. The wisdom of the rabbis saw these as three messengers of God's warning for disregarding love for the Creator.
The lesson that the disciples received probably happened so that they could rediscover Jesus. Lethargy in the spiritual life is a great danger to human existence. Jesus was at the headboard.
In the Greek text this place was called PRYMNA, meaning the stern, the helmsman's place. PRYMNETES is a helmsman or manager, as well as a ruler. Jesus was in a place where everything is in control, but the disciples let Him fall asleep. This expresses our sluggish attention, our spiritual sluggishness.
I think about our world, which has already experienced great tsunamis, fires in huge towers in Manhattan, and hurricanes that have devastated the coast. How many of us will awaken to true spiritual awakening after these signs? Only God can calm the elements, and we still think we can navigate this world on our own. Lack of faith brings an excess of timid fear.
Think about your life's storms. What did they tell you about the place you have given Jesus in the boat of your life? Where is God in your schedule when you live in fear and have devastating storms over and over again?
Maybe you're saying: where is God if this happens to me? If you want everything to calm down outside and inside you, awaken your conscience and call on Jesus!
Place Him at the center of your attention again, enthrone Him and declare Him in your soul as King! However, if He continues to be only a "mascot" of your spiritual life, you will become a prey to forces that are too powerful for you and you will not be able to cope with them.
I am sending an additional comment to donors.

 

[miamited]

Hey Mark1980

I read your work here and I'm still not clear on the 'three things' that your post title references. Could you simplify it for those of us who are dull. What are the three disasters that are going to befall unbelievers?

God bless,
Ted

 

[hawkman]

Is it polite to fall asleep in a chair while talking to a guest whom you offered coffee during his visit? Turbulent waters, lightning fire, and violent winds were the three plagues that befell humanity when it turned away from God.
The tribe of Noah was flooded with water, the tribe of Sodom was punished with fire from heaven, and the generation of Babel was scattered throughout the world by whirlwinds.

Mark1980 please show me in the Bible where winds scattered the people of Babel throughout the world .

Did you write this article Mark1980 , if not please give me the source of the article , which you should have posted here .

 

[Who Me]

because you have neglected what is essential: prayer!

You have two problems.
1, disaster doesn't automatically afflict the godless. Look around at the wealthy, healthy godless people.
2. People pray, they pray all the time, it's just that they don't pray to God.
There praying to anything g that will help them, so long as they don't have to change how they live.

 

[Tenchi]

Nothing helps us discover the presence and power of Jesus like critical situations. On the one hand, we experience great fear, on the other hand, we never feel so close to God.

??? This isn't my experience at all. If I'm fearful, it's always, in part, because I'm not close to God. Fear might crowd me up to God in desperate need, looking to Him for help, but if I'd been well-connected to God in the first place, walking in intimate communion with Him, that which would ordinarily produce fear in me would have encountered an impenetrable barrier in the One who is my constant refuge, shield and strong tower. It is the fool who waits 'til storms threaten and fear overwhelms to move toward his Maker.

Our prayers in times of peace are like dusting old furniture with a feather duster. But when a black cloud of danger appears on the horizon, prayer turns into breaking down the door to heaven.

This is very unbiblical. Never does God, who tells us in His word to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17) ever say that talking with Himself in seasons of peace is just "dusting the old furniture." Yikes. It absolutely isn't. "Praying always" (Ephesians 6:18) is a vital feature of living in daily fellowship with God, which is the fundamental purpose for our existence. Imagine talking with your wife with the attitude that she's just an "old piece of furniture" that you're "dusting" with conversation. You can bet she'd pick up on such an unloving attitude in a hurry - and respond to it accordingly!

Also, no Christian has to "break down heaven's door" who is walking consistently in holy fellowship with God.

1 Peter 3:10-12
10 For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;
11 let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

James 5:16
16 ...The prayer of a righteous person has great power...

The only one's who must clamor at, and pound on, the door of heaven" are those whose sinful lives have made God an opponent. But they will get no response from Him except silence until they follow His commands in restoring fellowship with Himself.

Perhaps it became so soporific that it even pushed Jesus into a corner, at the "head" of the boat. God "falls asleep" when our prayers put even us to sleep and we no longer want to get out of bed. Would you talk to your most important person while receiving him in bed?

A persons prays in a listless, bland way in reflection of their lack of fellowship with God. If such prayer is to be remedied, the one who prays in such a way must restore fellowship with their holy Maker.

James 4:7-10
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

2 Corinthians 7:10-11
10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.
11 For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal...

It is because God really is my "most important Person" that I'm glad to talk to Him at any and all times. It is entirely unbiblical to think that prayer must, or can, change in the way God desires independently of one's intimate communion with Him. If one wants rich, joyful and powerful prayer, one must be walking with God in rich, joyful, powerful fellowship with Him.

The lesson that the disciples received probably happened so that they could rediscover Jesus. Lethargy in the spiritual life is a great danger to human existence. Jesus was at the headboard.

Uh, no....

In the Greek text this place was called PRYMNA, meaning the stern, the helmsman's place. PRYMNETES is a helmsman or manager, as well as a ruler. Jesus was in a place where everything is in control, but the disciples let Him fall asleep. This expresses our sluggish attention, our spiritual sluggishness.

??? The stern of an ancient ship was not occupied solely with the helm or tiller. And the story in both Mathew's and Mark's Gospels gives no hint that Jesus had fallen asleep while manning the tiller. What you've proposed serves your point but does so by foisting upon the story what isn't actually presented in it. This is eisegesis - a sure route to false doctrine - and so should be carefully avoided when interpreting God's word.

Maybe you're saying: where is God if this happens to me? If you want everything to calm down outside and inside you, awaken your conscience and call on Jesus!
Place Him at the center of your attention again, enthrone Him and declare Him in your soul as King!

Our motive for "awakening our conscience and calling on Jesus" shouldn't be merely a desire for "everything to calm down." This is dealing with God as though He is a sort of spiritual medication or tool for correcting circumstances we don't like. He isn't. God is the supposed to be in our lives as He is the universe: GOD. When He isn't, crying out to Him to calm life's storms is quite useless. He is Himself our Refuge, our Strong Tower, our Shield. If we don't want Him in our lives as the God Over All that He is, but think, instead, to use Him as a handy remedy for situations out of our control, we misunderstand profoundly what it is to know and walk with God. The prayers of such people have little power with Him.

 

[lukadrower]

Continue of this topic Is here

Topic, about various passages from the Bible

Three disasters befalling those who turn away from the Creator .. Words of the Gospel according to Saint Mark. Mark 4:35-41.That same day, when evening came, he said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side." So they left the crowd and took Him as He was in a boat, and other boats...

christianforums.net

 

[lukadrower]

If we don't want Him in our lives as the God Over All that He is, but think, instead, to use Him as a handy remedy for situations out of our control, we misunderstand profoundly what it is to know and walk with God. The prayers of such people have little power with Him.

some also have "confusion" ... they don't understand why sometimes something bad happens to them or they blame illness or other things on God .. these people distance themselves from him with this thinking or various insults ..

 

[Tenchi]

some also have "confusion" ... they don't understand why sometimes something bad happens to them or they blame illness or other things on God .. these people distance themselves from him with this thinking or various insults ..

This is what those who don't know God and who are not walking well with Him do. But those who know and love God, who enjoy direct, personal fellowship with Him every day, who are led of the Holy Spirit, enter into times of trouble anchored to God such that they are able to rest easy in the midst of the the storm, as Jesus did, confident and secure in God's promises and power.