Moments

The Lord is so gracious to give us moments of reflection.  These tastes of His faithfulness and mercy leave marks on our hearts and minds that linger long after the moment passes. They deepen our thirst and desire for Him.  Bible time with my second graders yesterday was such a moment for me. 

My class and I were enjoying lunch outside at the picnic tables when, suddenly, dark clouds gathered in the sky to warn of impending thunderstorms. We finished  and quickly went back inside.  A few students were getting a little nervous, and one little girl even wrapped her arms around my leg and begged, “Miss Harmeling, please keep me safe from the storm!”  I knew at that moment that our Bible lesson would have a different focus today that I had originally planned. 

The past few weeks we have been discussing that Jesus is our Messiah and that He is fully God, fully man, our King, and our Savior.  Last week we specifically studied how Jesus is God and Lord of all creation.  We read about when Jesus calmed the life-threatening storm on the Sea of Galilee.  Our memory verse was the disciples' response to Jesus’ power over nature.  “They were filled with great fear and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?’” 

After we settled in the classroom from lunch, I had students name some common fears.  Of course, thunderstorms were mentioned, as well as tornados, snakes, darkness, and separation from your parents. 

I reminded the students of Jesus’ power over the storm, and I asked them Who truly was in control of all the fears that were named.  I asked them what was actually more scary- the things we feared or the God who controls them.  Of course, they answered that the Lord is more powerful than anything we could ever fear.  The disciples and my students were correct:  when we recognize the true might and power of God, the things we fear vanish and this all consuming  and terrifying Presence remains.

What a delight it was then to tell my students that for those who have made Christ the Lord of their lives, God is no longer not solely a holy and just Being who has wrath on sin.  He is a loving Father that takes care of us and has mercy on us.  They sat spellbound as I shared the beautiful truth of our Father’s compassion on His children.  The same student who earlier hugged my leg raised her hand and named something she thought even scarier than a thunderstorm- Satan.  I will never forget the expression on her face when I told her that Satan was a defeated enemy that had no power over us anymore.  Her anxious face melted into pure joy, as she exclaimed, “Oh!”  and her entire face brightened.  I wanted to cry for the joy I felt to share the truth with these precious children.  One of them then suggested that we find Bible verses that talk about being afraid.  He excitedly turned to a section in his Bible that listed verses dealing with fear. We then read several of these together.  Two other students asked if we could pray that the storm would go away and that no one would be afraid.  Oh, the Lord is good!  I saw before my very eyes His mighty work in the lives of children.  They got it.  Anxious?  Let’s pray.  Needing wisdom and the truth?  Look in His Word.  His burden is light and His grace is sufficient.  His strength and peace are not as the world gives. And in His presence is fullness of joy.