Afraid and Overwhelmed
Worship
Bright Intervals
40 Brief Worship Services and Meditations for Any Occasion
Object:
Greeting and Call To Worship
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?
Opening Prayer
O God, our Rock, we find ourselves tossed about in the storms of life. Sometimes we become so anxious and afraid that we lose our way. In our weakness, O God, grant us power. In our fear, O God, grant us courage. We pray in the name of Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Lord's Prayer
Special Hymn
"Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah"
The Welsh people may well be the most enthusiastic singers in the world. Welsh miners customarily sang on their way to the coal pits. In the great spiritual revivals which have come to Wales, music was more important than preaching. One of Wales' greatest hymn writers in the late eighteenth century was the layman-preacher William Williams. During forty years of ministry he traveled almost 100,000 miles, on foot and on horseback, preaching and singing. The best known of his 800 hymns is "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah." It reminds us that we are all like pilgrims on a journey from the cradle to the grave. Along the way, our lives will sometimes seem like a "barren land." Many times, like the Hebrews of old, we will call upon God to sustain us in the moments when we feel most afraid and overwhelmed.
Scripture Reading
Mark 4:35-41
Meditation
And Jesus said to his disciples, "Why are you afraid?" As I read that story of the terrible storm at sea, I find myself saying, "Who wouldn't be afraid in a moment like that?" A number of years ago my family and I took a boat from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to visit the Cornell University Marine Laboratory on Albacore Island, ten miles out to sea. The sky was almost black as we left the dock, and the fog quickly became so thick that morning you could not see any other vessels. All you could hear was the sound of boat whistles and horns as each craft tried to warn others of its presence.
There was one horn, however, that sounded through the fog louder than any other. It was somewhere off to our right, and we seemed to be on a parallel course with the other ship. Then the noise of the horn grew louder and more insistent! People on our boat lined the rails in fear and uncertainty. Suddenly, a huge Coast Guard vessel broke through the fog on a collision course with our boat! It looked so large, it was like looking up at the Queen Mary from a tiny canoe! Both captains saw the collision coming. Engines were reversed. Black smoke poured from the stacks. Water churned beneath our boat but, somehow, we managed to miss hitting the other boat by six feet! It was a terrifying experience!
Certainly, some kinds of fear can be good for us. We have learned to fear fires and earthquakes, tornadoes and floods, and we take precautions to avoid being hurt. But when an unexpected storm breaks upon us, we learn that fear can be a terrible thing. When fear strikes, the roof of our mouth goes dry. Our palms become sweaty, and terror fills our heart. Perhaps the worst thing about fear is the feeling that we are not adequate to deal with whatever it is we face. Whether it is a child who is afraid of the dark, or a soldier on a battlefield terrified of incoming shells, fear is a paralyzing experience.
From this story of Jesus and his disciples caught in the sudden unexpected storm at sea we learn several important things. First is the simple fact that trouble has a way of revealing what we are really made of. If Jesus had asked James and John and Peter on that sunny afternoon when they boarded their boat if they really trusted in God, I can imagine them saying, "Lord, you know we trust in God!" Yet, in the midst of that awful storm, even these experienced sailors feared for their lives. The storms of life have a way of testing us and forcing us to see who it is we really trust and rely on in the crisis moments.
But the even more important truth in this story is the difference the presence of Jesus makes for his disciples. The writer of the story contrasts "a great storm" with a "great calm" after Jesus spoke to the wind and the waves. Jesus' lordly presence is not a magic wand that keeps us from ever facing the storms of life, but it is enough to hold us steady when we feel afraid and overwhelmed. The poet Annie Johnson Flint has written some lines I first learned as a child about the promises of God. She writes:
God has not promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain, joy without sorrow, or peace without pain.
But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor and light for the way;
Grace for the trials, help from above, unfailing sympathy, and undying love.
Benediction
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
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?
Opening Prayer
O God, our Rock, we find ourselves tossed about in the storms of life. Sometimes we become so anxious and afraid that we lose our way. In our weakness, O God, grant us power. In our fear, O God, grant us courage. We pray in the name of Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Lord's Prayer
Special Hymn
"Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah"
The Welsh people may well be the most enthusiastic singers in the world. Welsh miners customarily sang on their way to the coal pits. In the great spiritual revivals which have come to Wales, music was more important than preaching. One of Wales' greatest hymn writers in the late eighteenth century was the layman-preacher William Williams. During forty years of ministry he traveled almost 100,000 miles, on foot and on horseback, preaching and singing. The best known of his 800 hymns is "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah." It reminds us that we are all like pilgrims on a journey from the cradle to the grave. Along the way, our lives will sometimes seem like a "barren land." Many times, like the Hebrews of old, we will call upon God to sustain us in the moments when we feel most afraid and overwhelmed.
Scripture Reading
Mark 4:35-41
Meditation
And Jesus said to his disciples, "Why are you afraid?" As I read that story of the terrible storm at sea, I find myself saying, "Who wouldn't be afraid in a moment like that?" A number of years ago my family and I took a boat from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to visit the Cornell University Marine Laboratory on Albacore Island, ten miles out to sea. The sky was almost black as we left the dock, and the fog quickly became so thick that morning you could not see any other vessels. All you could hear was the sound of boat whistles and horns as each craft tried to warn others of its presence.
There was one horn, however, that sounded through the fog louder than any other. It was somewhere off to our right, and we seemed to be on a parallel course with the other ship. Then the noise of the horn grew louder and more insistent! People on our boat lined the rails in fear and uncertainty. Suddenly, a huge Coast Guard vessel broke through the fog on a collision course with our boat! It looked so large, it was like looking up at the Queen Mary from a tiny canoe! Both captains saw the collision coming. Engines were reversed. Black smoke poured from the stacks. Water churned beneath our boat but, somehow, we managed to miss hitting the other boat by six feet! It was a terrifying experience!
Certainly, some kinds of fear can be good for us. We have learned to fear fires and earthquakes, tornadoes and floods, and we take precautions to avoid being hurt. But when an unexpected storm breaks upon us, we learn that fear can be a terrible thing. When fear strikes, the roof of our mouth goes dry. Our palms become sweaty, and terror fills our heart. Perhaps the worst thing about fear is the feeling that we are not adequate to deal with whatever it is we face. Whether it is a child who is afraid of the dark, or a soldier on a battlefield terrified of incoming shells, fear is a paralyzing experience.
From this story of Jesus and his disciples caught in the sudden unexpected storm at sea we learn several important things. First is the simple fact that trouble has a way of revealing what we are really made of. If Jesus had asked James and John and Peter on that sunny afternoon when they boarded their boat if they really trusted in God, I can imagine them saying, "Lord, you know we trust in God!" Yet, in the midst of that awful storm, even these experienced sailors feared for their lives. The storms of life have a way of testing us and forcing us to see who it is we really trust and rely on in the crisis moments.
But the even more important truth in this story is the difference the presence of Jesus makes for his disciples. The writer of the story contrasts "a great storm" with a "great calm" after Jesus spoke to the wind and the waves. Jesus' lordly presence is not a magic wand that keeps us from ever facing the storms of life, but it is enough to hold us steady when we feel afraid and overwhelmed. The poet Annie Johnson Flint has written some lines I first learned as a child about the promises of God. She writes:
God has not promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain, joy without sorrow, or peace without pain.
But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor and light for the way;
Grace for the trials, help from above, unfailing sympathy, and undying love.
Benediction
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
