I want to be like that

"Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd."

Matthew 9:35-36

Sometimes I like being in crowds, but I quickly get tired of them and just want to escape to be by myself. Jesus must have always had crowds around him, but he looked at the people and had compassion on them. He knew of their suffering and the lies they had been deceived by. He cared about the people and loved them.

We just finished our first week in Provo. We've spent most of our time looking for jobs, praying, and meeting people in our apartments and at the Rock. It seems like a lot of relationships are off to a good solid start out here. We seem to be in big crowds a lot here, so God really spoke to me at the right time with this verse. I want to be more like him.

If you get a chance to pray for us, pray for the city and that God would break down Satan's stronghold that he has here, that God would bless us with jobs this coming week, and that God would build up our brothers and sisters in the church here.

How Fast the Storm Comes

Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, 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!"

He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!"

-Matthew 8:32-27

Storms hit us that we never see coming. It can almost seem as if the world is over, my life is done, game over. At those times, I do go cry to Jesus, "save me, I'm going to drown!".

Jesus hears my plea, he is kind and loving and merciful and knows our sorrows in a greater way than we know. But he is also realistic and says "Philip, come on my son, have faith in me! I won't let you drown. Trust me."

Just like the disciples on the boat, I'm always amazed at how Jesus controls the storm.

Work in Progress

Isaiah 64:8
Yet, O LORD, you are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hands.

Today, tomorrow and forever, God is working. I'm so thankful to know that even when I don't see how things are going to fit together, God is in control. I don't want to be anywhere else, and there couldn't be a better pair of hands to trust in and to be shaped by.