A New Devotion - Behind the Scenes

Here's a new devotion that I wrote. You can find a recording of this devotion at the bottom of the page.

Mark 6:47-56

When evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the sea. He intended to pass them by. But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.

When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

Behind the Scenes

Although I consider myself to be a theater person, I’m definitely not an actor. And I think it’s interesting that some folks are surprised when they hear me say that. You see, they see me up in front of groups all the time, and large numbers seem to energize me. Therefore, they assume that I would love to be in plays, but that’s not the case at all. For me, presenting material is a lot of fun, but the whole idea of memorizing lines, that’s sends a cold chill up my spine. 

But having said that, about twenty-five years ago, I was in a play at a tiny theater in Indianapolis. It was aptly entitled, “The Worst Christmas Play Ever.” Now I was only in it, because there was a character who was a minister and in that regard, I qualified. Of course, my part was tiny, just two lines and no pressure. And I remember, each evening, as I was waiting for my cue, I had a lot of time backstage. And I’ll tell you, I was amazed by the controlled chaos behind the scenes. You see, even though all kinds of stuff was going on that the audience never saw, there was no question that the director and her assistant were in complete control; therefore, the show was certainly going to go on. 

And I think that’s what the disciples in the boat and the folks around Gennesaret realized about Jesus. I mean, even though the wind was adverse, he was in control of both the lake and the storm. And while there were all kinds of sick folks in marketplaces, he had authority to heal what ailed them. Now that’s what they was saw when they looked toward Jesus. And as we deal with all the chaos that we encounter in our lives, this is something we may want to recognize too. You see, regardless of what’s happening, Jesus will always have authority behind the scenes.