The Power of Christ

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

My name is Xochitl Dixon. I'm sharing an amazing story of faith in the power of Christ. In 2013, about 600 on-site spectators watched aerialist Nick Wilenda walk on a tightrope across a 1,400-foot-wide gorge near the Grand Canyon. Wilenda stepped onto the two-inch-thick steel cable and thanked Jesus for the view as his head camera pointed towards the valley below. He prayed and praised Jesus as he walked across the gorge as calmly as if he was strolling on a sidewalk.

When the wind became treacherous, he stopped and crouched. He rose and regained his balance, thanking God for calming that cable. With every step on that tightrope, he displayed his dependence on the power of Christ to everyone listening then and now as the video is watched across the world. When the winds of a storm caused waves to overtake the disciples on the Sea of Galilee in Mark Chapter 4, fear seeped through their pleas for help. After Jesus stilled the squall, they knew he controlled the winds and everything else.

Slowly, they learned to grow in their trust of him. Their personal experiences could help others recognize Jesus's intimate availability and extraordinary might. As we experience life storms or walk on the tightropes of trust stretched over the deep valleys of affliction, we can demonstrate confident faith in the power of Christ. God will use our faith walk to inspire others to hope in him.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Mark Chapter 4, verses 35 to 41. That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, let us go over to the other side. Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along just as he was in the boat. There were also other boats with him.

A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, teacher, don't you care if we drown? He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the waves, quiet, be still.

Then the wind died down, and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?

They were terrified and asked each other, who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him. Let's pray. Thank you, Jesus, for being our peace. Whether we feel like we're walking on a tightrope across a treacherous valley or hanging on for our lives during stormy seasons, you are our enduring hope. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.