And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm (Matt 8:26). It is crucial that we get a grasp of what Jesus is saying here, and why He is rebuking the disciples. The context of this story is natural forces, but we are going to penetrate beyond what apparently meets the eye when we read about Jesus calming the winds and the sea. We are going to move on to the level of human activity. On this level the disciples merely saw persons in action whereas Jesus only saw God in action. They saw persons everywhere doing their stuff and by their doing often causing winds and big waves. Jesus only saw God doing His stuff causing what to the eye of little faith looked like huge storms. The disciples saw themselves and their actions apart from God, and as long as they only saw separation they fell easy prey to life’s many circumstances in that sense that they had no calm. Jesus, however, made no distinctions between what He beheld and God. Jesus saw God and His doings as an irrevocable part of human life.
A central question now arises: Are we merely automatons following the narrow path of God’s will? No, no! On the contrary! We are now moving into the tricky part of the exposition, on account of that we are going to explain spiritual things by spiritual words. It is a huge challenge to translate things we have seen in the Spirit or as a vision into words.
God’s will is not a narrow path. We have got it all wrong. It is the other tree which presents us with a narrow path. God’s will is infinite as God is infinite. It can be likened to a vast expanse, an infinite blanket as it were. This blanket or expanse is always moving and that is life. It is never static. We might say about it that it is an eternal dynamic creative unfolding of events. Every thought, every action is swallowed up into this expanse so that it in every now is transformed accordingly so that everything always works together towards good. In a sense its surface and texture are always in a state of variation. Within the boundless limits of God’s will which is only love we move and have our being and it is here we operate as free sons so that everything we do is caught up in God as an expression of Him. Our prayers set the expanse in motion so that it is transformed in accordance with our desires. Seen from a different viewpoint God sets Himself in motion by expressing Himself through our prayers.
Norman Grubb said that desire and love are synonyms. Desire is thus an expression of God’s love which put things in motion. We are not designed to quench those sometimes powerful and overwhelming desires and emotions those desires whip up. It is God’s fire we feel and touch and how can we quench God’s fire? When we regain our bearings we ask: What are you up to now God? Every son must taste God’s fire and learn how to handle its power in order to become a safe son.
This swallowing up of everything we undertake as sons further means that every outcome is a fixed reality in the eternal due to the alterations in the texture of the expanse and how it absorbs everything so that the new texture contains the good outcome in the future determined by every now. (You deserve an A+ if you get to the bottom of the that sentence.) The disciples saw and felt a wave of emotions washing over them thinking that the situation they had gotten themselves into was their own fault. But this was God’s will for them in Jesus Christ (1 Tess 5:18). One of the means God utilizes to awake us to Himself is agony (Rom 7). The outcome of the storm the disciples beheld was a fixed reality in God, but from their limited viewpoint they had no idea which way events would turn. In the instant they saw God only, that is, Christ Jesus, the inner storm calmed.
But, what about sowing and reaping? How does that fit into all this? When we delve to the bottom of things we find consciousness only. If we sow separation we will reap agony and turmoil. If we sow union and God only we reap supernatural peace and rest.
Everything is put in motion by God. Everything is purposed by our Father and it comes to expression and fruition through us and seeing Him as us is our great freedom in Him. God is never resting, He never slumber not sleeps and the midst of this torrent of life we are.
Separation makes us say things like: He got what he deserved. You will have to bear the consequences of your choice. In one sense this is true, but for the sons of God this is not the absolute truth because everything is swallowed up in God if we only had eyes to see. It is the Spirit’s privilege to pull us through every annoyance, every affliction, every exhortation so that we get to the kernel beneath where we find God only.
We all have our personal Gethsemane experience where we are left with two possible ways of discriminating within the context of our affliction. Pressed to the uttermost will we then see the machinations of the devil and the persons carrying out his design? Or perhaps we blame everything on ourselves; our stupidity or whatever accusations we bring against ourselves. Or will we see the Father’s cup?
The Mystery Revealed 
This is really wonderful, Ole Henrik. I got an A+ because I got to the end of that sentence. And after reading it a couple of times I got it! Great! Very good points! It’s wonderful how you bring the whole universe into our individual purviews, so that what is happening “in us” is reflective of or maybe better said, is “causing” the universe to “change” after the Word we heard and expressed. Good good good good! (And God said, “It is very good.”
I am not surprised, not surprised at all that you earned an A+! Well done! Your comment put a huge smile on my, eh, humble face! Thanks bro!
This is meat and potatoes stuff for those who are centered in Christ. We have realized the freedom we have to live and move and have our being in Him. We operate in faith and not by sight. We know the Shepherd’s voice and respond to His rod and staff for they comfort us. We have been conditioned to focus on Him only by sharing in His sufferings, and are not distracted by the wind and waves which toss our little vessels around in seemingly ominous seas, for we are overcomers. The Captain of our salvation is not afraid to use us in mighty ways, because we have been willing to be subjected to the trials which ultimately strengthen our faith. We do not operate in fear and doubt, but in power and a sound mind. We know who we are in Christ, and we know that He is ours. We have tasted God’s fire and it is Good. We declare the Kingdom of Heaven is near, not some far-off concept of religion or vain philosophy. We are not afraid to get out of the boat to be with Him, for he is our security. We can endure the arrows of the enemy and remain standing because we have put on the armour of God and have not been found naked. We know what “I and the Father are One” means. We worship God in Spirit and in Truth, and His heart’s desire is our desire.
It’s good to affirm who we are in Christ, for these are challenging times, and it is good to remain focused.
Ole, I can tell that your armour is quite functional, and I stand with you, brother!
But, hey- where’s your SOCKS? 😉
T
You just blessed my socks off my feet, brother! Awesome comment you bring to this forum. I am wet from top to toe from bathing in your blessed words. Man, you are such a proficient writer and have so much in your heart that I would suggest that you start a blog where many can hear your voice! Ya hear me!
Goodness, Ole, you sure are one joyous dude- and we all share your joy. The wind blows where it will, and such is ours in the Spirit He has given us. God knows the plans He has for us, and, by and by, He will create the circumstances for His Word to be known. For now, I’m heading back out into the wilderness…bless your week, and put your socks back on so someone can bless them off again! 🙂 T