March 3rd, 2026
Tuesday, March 3
Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
~Matthew 8:23-25
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters; he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake...surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. ~ Psalm 23:1-2, 6
Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
~Matthew 8:23-25
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters; he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake...surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. ~ Psalm 23:1-2, 6
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Jesus seems to have always had the cross in his sights. His entire life was an intentional journey into the valley of the shadow of death. Yet, it seems he was not too rattled by it. The one exception is the account of Jesus being very nervous and even fearful as he prayed in the garden of Gethsemane on the night of his arrest (Matt. 26:36-46; Luke 22:39-46). It was a deeply human moment of anxiety and fear. But even amid that, Jesus, like the Psalmist before him, found trust in the hope of God.
The story of Jesus & his disciples in the boat is a classic example of the opposite. Matthew’s gospel makes it clear that the pop-up storm on the Sea of Galilee was no small event. The disciples freaked out. Jesus slept. Now, it’s easy to say that Jesus was at rest because he was God. This is true. But Jesus was also human. Remember, he was pretty anxious and fearful on the night of his arrest. But even then Jesus didn’t run. He stayed. He was at rest in the midst of fear.
Perhaps the problem with us is that we are people who run. We’re often trying to escape difficulty, anxiety, fear…death. We all know that this only adds to the restlessness. We get used to it, and then all we know is a life of worry and running from fear and anxiety instead of resting.
There are times when the chaos is all around us and we’re in fear and we can’t run. Jesus was there. The Psalmist gets it, too. He does not fear because God is the God who gives rest, who leads to quiet waters, even when we have to go through stormy ones to get there. The disciples had to learn this. Maybe there’s a paradox here: we can experience fear AND be at rest.
Here’s the thing. If the Psalmist is correct, then no matter how restless we might be as we run to avoid fear, or to avoid resting (!), the goodness and mercy of the Lord will keep up with us. It’s like Madonna sings in her song, “Open Your Heart to Me”: “Don’t try to run, I can keep up with you.” (Yes, I just quoted Madonna in a Lent devotional reflection. Deal with it.)
God’s mercy chases you in your restless running. It will find you in your fear. You might as well just stop and let the Lord lead you to rest. OR, when the time hits when you just can’t run any longer, guess what will be there for you? Rest. Not rest because you’re tired of running, but because the Lord is in the boat.
In his Confessions, Augustine writes:
Jesus seems to have always had the cross in his sights. His entire life was an intentional journey into the valley of the shadow of death. Yet, it seems he was not too rattled by it. The one exception is the account of Jesus being very nervous and even fearful as he prayed in the garden of Gethsemane on the night of his arrest (Matt. 26:36-46; Luke 22:39-46). It was a deeply human moment of anxiety and fear. But even amid that, Jesus, like the Psalmist before him, found trust in the hope of God.
The story of Jesus & his disciples in the boat is a classic example of the opposite. Matthew’s gospel makes it clear that the pop-up storm on the Sea of Galilee was no small event. The disciples freaked out. Jesus slept. Now, it’s easy to say that Jesus was at rest because he was God. This is true. But Jesus was also human. Remember, he was pretty anxious and fearful on the night of his arrest. But even then Jesus didn’t run. He stayed. He was at rest in the midst of fear.
Perhaps the problem with us is that we are people who run. We’re often trying to escape difficulty, anxiety, fear…death. We all know that this only adds to the restlessness. We get used to it, and then all we know is a life of worry and running from fear and anxiety instead of resting.
There are times when the chaos is all around us and we’re in fear and we can’t run. Jesus was there. The Psalmist gets it, too. He does not fear because God is the God who gives rest, who leads to quiet waters, even when we have to go through stormy ones to get there. The disciples had to learn this. Maybe there’s a paradox here: we can experience fear AND be at rest.
Here’s the thing. If the Psalmist is correct, then no matter how restless we might be as we run to avoid fear, or to avoid resting (!), the goodness and mercy of the Lord will keep up with us. It’s like Madonna sings in her song, “Open Your Heart to Me”: “Don’t try to run, I can keep up with you.” (Yes, I just quoted Madonna in a Lent devotional reflection. Deal with it.)
God’s mercy chases you in your restless running. It will find you in your fear. You might as well just stop and let the Lord lead you to rest. OR, when the time hits when you just can’t run any longer, guess what will be there for you? Rest. Not rest because you’re tired of running, but because the Lord is in the boat.
In his Confessions, Augustine writes:
Oh the twisted roads I’ve walked! Woe to my soul that imagined something better apart from you, God! My soul goes from this thing to that, and every place brings no comfort. You’re the only rest. But you’re here (you always have been), freeing us from our unhappy wandering, setting us on your path, comforting us and saying, “Run the race! I’ll carry you! I’ll carry you clear to the end, and even at the end, then I’ll carry you."
Lent is about facing up to who we are and the restlessness of our constant running and striving. The Lord desires to bring us to rest, to peace. His is the quiet voice that’s been with us all along, waiting for us to finally get it and actually live the life he made us for: rest because we are limited, human, and dependent on God, who is always good.
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For reflection:
Prayer:
God of peace, you are with us when fear is present. You are with us when we run because we’re afraid. Speak peace to our restlessness today, Lord. Amen.
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For reflection:
- What fears or anxieties keep you restless and running, and disrupt rest and peace? How has the goodness and mercy of the Lord kept up or even chased after you, even in your restless running from fear and anxiety?
- For those with kids: Was there a time they wanted to run away from something that caused fear? Is it hard to be at rest when they experience fear? What if they knew the Lord was with them during fearful times? Would it be easier to not run from the things they’re afraid of? What if you told them that the Lord would carry them, just like a parent carries them?
Prayer:
God of peace, you are with us when fear is present. You are with us when we run because we’re afraid. Speak peace to our restlessness today, Lord. Amen.
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