It is a fact: there are
those Christians out there who live in the eye of the hurricane. Their
kids grow up straight and strong. The husband wouldn’t think of having an
affair. His wife doesn’t want to run off. Most of all, their lives
seem dull, ordinary and unexciting. And they like it that way.
There aren’t too many of these folks, but any good sized church will be able to
find a few.
What may seem curious to you is
that these folks do have their share of other peoples’ burdens. Rudyard
Kipling referred to them as the Sons of Martha. The Sons of Mary lay
their troubles on the Lord—and the Lord, He lays them on the Sons of
Martha. Somehow, the desperate children of the Lord seem to find their
way to Martha’s door.
Have you ever wondered how it is
that these people keep such a calm life? The answer is simple: they
are obedient to their Lord’s command. He put it this way:
"Therefore
everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a
wise man who built his house on the rock. "And
the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that
house; and yet it did not fall, for it had
been founded on the rock.
(Mat
7:24-25 NASB)
The Sons of Martha are those who
have built their lives upon the rock which is Christ. In the hurricane is
chaos, damage and danger. The rock is in the eye of that hurricane; those
who live there cling to that rock—and take strength in doing it.
But is it possible that anyone
could be that obedient? How could anyone have a life like that without
going astray sometime? Consider it this way: you can’t be obedient
all your life; you know that. But could you be obedient for an
hour? How about a day? As much as a week? That’s all you really
need, you know. For each week He tells you to examine yourself, then take
of His supper. The bread is your strength and sustenance; the wine is
your antiseptic and anesthetic. By His strength He sustains you; He
cleanses you from all sin as you confess it to Him. He gives you
comfort—the sweet comfort of knowing that you are God’s child, and welcome.
Often the Sons of Martha really
can’t explain how it works. They just know that it does. Obedience
to God’s command is often like that. His way is perfect, He tells
us. Even the most obedient and prayerful of Christians would tell you
that there are times when the perfection of His way is anything but
visible. He told you His way is perfect; He never promised that you’d
understand how. Cling to the Rock; the hurricane has no power over
it.
Lord, as we eat the bread and
take the cup, turn our hearts to you. Turn our faces to the Rock of Ages,
so that we may find our cleft in the rock—and watch the hurricane from within
the eye.