Though this read is long been told tiz riveting. 
I did write it with God in my ear and spiritual fire! Couldn't type this out fast enough! Aiming to EDIFY! 
Id been attempting to pray early one morning, but kept nodding off and have admittedly done so too many times to count. Who else has wrestled with staying awake while praying? Confessing this myself, I wont ask for a show of hands. Anyhow, God broke through my grogginess with this piercing and personal query "Is Jesus sleeping on the pillow of your heart?" There was certainly no getting around that pointed question coming from the Holy Spirit of Truth! And especially with what had just transpired, all I could say was "Lord, Please speak more! Your servant is listening and I really do want to hear from You!"
You may be thinking ah wait a minute what does pillow have to do with heart? Pillows are for heads, you say. However, you may have possibly heard about heart pillows, special cushions designed in the shape of a heart, to comfort cardiac patients who cough much after surgery. Hugging these super-soft creations relieves their pain and stress on their 15-inch incision. Heart pillows will tie into this message if you stay tuned to the very end you will find out how!
OK, having established that pillows please hearts too, back to my starting question Is Jesus sleeping on the pillow of your heart? Through this metaphor, I believe the message God would like to convey is that though He, the Lord of lords and King of kings, truly lives as an ever-present, omnipotent Resident in our hearts, we may tend to keep Him at arms length at a safe distance. Meaning were the captains of our day-to-day happenings. Were the ones steering the ship of our voyage through life. And stubbornly we have stayed there so long, without asking for much Divine input, that we have lulled the Jesus in us to sleep.
Lets turn to the Bible for intriguing enlightenment, watching wide-eyed, as our Lord awakens the hearts of His disciples to reconnect with Him. He ushers them into a new realization of His matchless Sovereignty and transcending love!
Mark 4:35-41 (NKJV) On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side." Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!"
I certainly noted the timing of this account, being evening. But wait, let me expound on these verses The word evening here, refers from 3 to 6pm or from 6pm to the beginning of night. So, in either case, I venture to say it was too early for Jesus to be slumbering! Plus the Amplified version, describes this great windstorm as having hurricane force, which would mean extremely loud and yet the frantic disciples, still had to wake Him up! Furthermore, our Lord had a consistent custom of praying through the nighttime!
I can hear your minds a-whirring! What else could have caused Christ to fall asleep at such an unusual hour? Well, referring to these Scriptures, where exactly was Jesus? He was in the stern of the ship, at the back. Its fairly safe to assume that His disciples, being seasoned fishermen, would have been up front in the boats bow navigating.
A few of you know that I enjoy whittling spiritual insight out of anything! Do indulge me for a moment! We find Jesus in the boats stern. Well, helm, another word for stern, also means a position of leadership. The disciples had unwittingly relegated their Lord and Leader, the Captain of all captains, to the back of the boat! Interestingly enough, the Bible (in James 3:4) likens the human tongue, capable of blessing and cursing, to a very small helm in a great ship. Maybe critical words quieted the Christ. So I suspect that though Jesus was bursting to share more wisdom from above with His counterparts, similar to anyone who feels unwelcome, withdrawal by sleep proved a cozy alternative. Albeit unwillingly, He probably slipped unnoticed to the stern. Now why the rift? Why was Christ by Himself, curled up on a cushion in the stern?
I believe one answer is superficial relationship. So far, the disciples had made only a shallow acquaintance with their Lord. A few definitions of shallow prove fitting applications here. Shallow means lacking depth of knowledge and not affecting one deeply. Finding these particular Bible verses near the beginning of Marks gospel, we can deduce that they hadnt known Jesus for very long, nor been deeply affected by Him, and that they were still trying to figure Him out. Could He be trusted? What did He want with them? Or from them? Like any new forming fellowship, the boaters gravitated to their comfort zone, bantering amongst themselves about how best to skipper the ship.
Moreover, Christ, the Messiah of the world, in a physical person, would have had quite an awesome Presence, that must have made these sailors retract with reverence! Instead, drawing closer in wonderment to Jesus, listening to His every Word, would have readied them for their soon approaching Divinely orchestrated adventure and test!
Not being needed, may be another reason that sent our Lord a-sleeping. Since the disciples only spoke to Christ when their lives hung in the balance, this implies they erroneously thought themselves to be self-sufficient, maybe even invincible, immortal, in sense, too young to die! Afterall, some of them were seasoned fishermen on calm waters, happy chitchatting, and presumed they would get to the other side of the sea without incident.
However, they didnt know the near future! They had absolutely no inkling as to what would be happening to them next! Another version, describes the turbulent wind and waves as a squall, a brief sudden violent windstorm, often accompanied by rain or snow. Keyword being sudden, not prepared for, unexpected! Yet, they let Jesus, the Omniscient One slip from them in slumber!
Note well, that only when the disciples were in danger did they rush to Jesus side, shaking Him, waking Him, and shouting Master, Master! Dont You care that we are perishing? O the irony! They accused their Lord of not caring about them! Very possibly, that was exactly how He felt and was thinking Touché folks! Am surmising that Christ purposely caused the ferocious windstorm with the waves billowing over the boat to the point of almost sinking it, so that the depths of the disciples personal need for Him would be radically stirred up!
Indulge me again for a moment of more spiritual whittling! Whatever the translation, this motley group addressed Jesus as either their Master or Teacher, both which indicate their recent, but past interactions with Him. They had answered Christs call to follow Him, to serve Him. As had they heard His preaching, like the parable of the Sower for instance, also in Mark 4. This same account of the wild winds and waves appears in the gospel of Matthew, subsequent to the Sermon on the Mount, again reconfirming the disciples viewed the Lord as their Teacher. Well, through the Divinely orchestrated storm that ensued, I believe Jesus wanted to raise their identification with Him to a new level of understanding, to give them a rejuvenating revelation of His Divinity and of His loving character! The gale force wind symbolized how Christ swept through their consciousness to wrench them out of complacency, into a dynamic circumstance that went beyond their human capacities, earthly resources, and past experiences! Jesus miracle demonstrated His Sovereign control of the weather and the waters, in addition to showing the fretful disciples that He valued them more than they could possibly fathom! Christ staying with them in their peril speaks volumes about His heart of love! He didnt, but could have literally abandoned them in the midst of their nautical distress, since the Holy Scriptures testify that He walked on the water!
I really think that is why Jesus admonished them so sharply, because He truly did care for them, but did they for Him? In the next three years, they would witness just how much He was committed to them! They would see, He was not only concerned about their physical well being, but more importantly, Christ so deeply loved them, enough to personally ensure their eternal security! His saving them from this furious storm, was indeed symbolic, a foreshadowing of His lifes sacrifice by crucifixion on the Cross!
These verses also spotlight the sailors lagging belief system, that effectively distanced them, closing them off from fellowship with Christ, the Author and Perfecter of their faith! Had they kept in continual conversation with their Master, not letting him fall asleep, their faith would have proved more steadfast, even in the face of blustery winds and turbulent seas! I recently read that faith is indeed to give certain hope for impossible situations! However, finding no spark of supernatural interest among His boatmates, Jesus had no door of opportunity for communing with them, so He may have indeed decided a nap was more inviting.
To the disciples credit, realizing their tumultuous circumstances were out of their control, they did race right to Christ for His intervention. While He rebuked them for their accusatory question, He arose in response to their turning to Him, displaying His absolute authority over the raging winds and waters, with His glorious Peace! Be still! Quite an affirmation, asserting the truth of Jesus deity! Something definitely different about Him, that with 3 little Words, He could transform a hurricane-stirred sea into a great calm! Note well, our Lord first being full of peace enabled Him to then bring transcending tranquility to such turmoil! Also Christ didnt have to speak many words to subdue the storm, because He had already prayed much! Now what inspiration to pray more that even brief prayers will prove powerful!!!!!!! Mark 1:35 confirms He had prayed long! Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up went to a solitary place, where He prayed.
Furthermore, His display of Supremacy over nature wasnt just for the disciples benefit. We read of other little boats also with Him. Meaning many spectators in those vessels experienced the same fierce storm. Their boats were smaller, so their lives were more at risk! They too beheld the instantaneous holy hush, were saved, and duly impacted by Jesus to keep following Him!
please see part 2 at this link
http://www.christianforums.com/t87516
I did write it with God in my ear and spiritual fire! Couldn't type this out fast enough! Aiming to EDIFY! Id been attempting to pray early one morning, but kept nodding off and have admittedly done so too many times to count. Who else has wrestled with staying awake while praying? Confessing this myself, I wont ask for a show of hands. Anyhow, God broke through my grogginess with this piercing and personal query "Is Jesus sleeping on the pillow of your heart?" There was certainly no getting around that pointed question coming from the Holy Spirit of Truth! And especially with what had just transpired, all I could say was "Lord, Please speak more! Your servant is listening and I really do want to hear from You!"
You may be thinking ah wait a minute what does pillow have to do with heart? Pillows are for heads, you say. However, you may have possibly heard about heart pillows, special cushions designed in the shape of a heart, to comfort cardiac patients who cough much after surgery. Hugging these super-soft creations relieves their pain and stress on their 15-inch incision. Heart pillows will tie into this message if you stay tuned to the very end you will find out how!
OK, having established that pillows please hearts too, back to my starting question Is Jesus sleeping on the pillow of your heart? Through this metaphor, I believe the message God would like to convey is that though He, the Lord of lords and King of kings, truly lives as an ever-present, omnipotent Resident in our hearts, we may tend to keep Him at arms length at a safe distance. Meaning were the captains of our day-to-day happenings. Were the ones steering the ship of our voyage through life. And stubbornly we have stayed there so long, without asking for much Divine input, that we have lulled the Jesus in us to sleep.
Lets turn to the Bible for intriguing enlightenment, watching wide-eyed, as our Lord awakens the hearts of His disciples to reconnect with Him. He ushers them into a new realization of His matchless Sovereignty and transcending love!
Mark 4:35-41 (NKJV) On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side." Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!"
I certainly noted the timing of this account, being evening. But wait, let me expound on these verses The word evening here, refers from 3 to 6pm or from 6pm to the beginning of night. So, in either case, I venture to say it was too early for Jesus to be slumbering! Plus the Amplified version, describes this great windstorm as having hurricane force, which would mean extremely loud and yet the frantic disciples, still had to wake Him up! Furthermore, our Lord had a consistent custom of praying through the nighttime!
I can hear your minds a-whirring! What else could have caused Christ to fall asleep at such an unusual hour? Well, referring to these Scriptures, where exactly was Jesus? He was in the stern of the ship, at the back. Its fairly safe to assume that His disciples, being seasoned fishermen, would have been up front in the boats bow navigating.
A few of you know that I enjoy whittling spiritual insight out of anything! Do indulge me for a moment! We find Jesus in the boats stern. Well, helm, another word for stern, also means a position of leadership. The disciples had unwittingly relegated their Lord and Leader, the Captain of all captains, to the back of the boat! Interestingly enough, the Bible (in James 3:4) likens the human tongue, capable of blessing and cursing, to a very small helm in a great ship. Maybe critical words quieted the Christ. So I suspect that though Jesus was bursting to share more wisdom from above with His counterparts, similar to anyone who feels unwelcome, withdrawal by sleep proved a cozy alternative. Albeit unwillingly, He probably slipped unnoticed to the stern. Now why the rift? Why was Christ by Himself, curled up on a cushion in the stern?
I believe one answer is superficial relationship. So far, the disciples had made only a shallow acquaintance with their Lord. A few definitions of shallow prove fitting applications here. Shallow means lacking depth of knowledge and not affecting one deeply. Finding these particular Bible verses near the beginning of Marks gospel, we can deduce that they hadnt known Jesus for very long, nor been deeply affected by Him, and that they were still trying to figure Him out. Could He be trusted? What did He want with them? Or from them? Like any new forming fellowship, the boaters gravitated to their comfort zone, bantering amongst themselves about how best to skipper the ship.
Moreover, Christ, the Messiah of the world, in a physical person, would have had quite an awesome Presence, that must have made these sailors retract with reverence! Instead, drawing closer in wonderment to Jesus, listening to His every Word, would have readied them for their soon approaching Divinely orchestrated adventure and test!
Not being needed, may be another reason that sent our Lord a-sleeping. Since the disciples only spoke to Christ when their lives hung in the balance, this implies they erroneously thought themselves to be self-sufficient, maybe even invincible, immortal, in sense, too young to die! Afterall, some of them were seasoned fishermen on calm waters, happy chitchatting, and presumed they would get to the other side of the sea without incident.
However, they didnt know the near future! They had absolutely no inkling as to what would be happening to them next! Another version, describes the turbulent wind and waves as a squall, a brief sudden violent windstorm, often accompanied by rain or snow. Keyword being sudden, not prepared for, unexpected! Yet, they let Jesus, the Omniscient One slip from them in slumber!
Note well, that only when the disciples were in danger did they rush to Jesus side, shaking Him, waking Him, and shouting Master, Master! Dont You care that we are perishing? O the irony! They accused their Lord of not caring about them! Very possibly, that was exactly how He felt and was thinking Touché folks! Am surmising that Christ purposely caused the ferocious windstorm with the waves billowing over the boat to the point of almost sinking it, so that the depths of the disciples personal need for Him would be radically stirred up!
Indulge me again for a moment of more spiritual whittling! Whatever the translation, this motley group addressed Jesus as either their Master or Teacher, both which indicate their recent, but past interactions with Him. They had answered Christs call to follow Him, to serve Him. As had they heard His preaching, like the parable of the Sower for instance, also in Mark 4. This same account of the wild winds and waves appears in the gospel of Matthew, subsequent to the Sermon on the Mount, again reconfirming the disciples viewed the Lord as their Teacher. Well, through the Divinely orchestrated storm that ensued, I believe Jesus wanted to raise their identification with Him to a new level of understanding, to give them a rejuvenating revelation of His Divinity and of His loving character! The gale force wind symbolized how Christ swept through their consciousness to wrench them out of complacency, into a dynamic circumstance that went beyond their human capacities, earthly resources, and past experiences! Jesus miracle demonstrated His Sovereign control of the weather and the waters, in addition to showing the fretful disciples that He valued them more than they could possibly fathom! Christ staying with them in their peril speaks volumes about His heart of love! He didnt, but could have literally abandoned them in the midst of their nautical distress, since the Holy Scriptures testify that He walked on the water!
I really think that is why Jesus admonished them so sharply, because He truly did care for them, but did they for Him? In the next three years, they would witness just how much He was committed to them! They would see, He was not only concerned about their physical well being, but more importantly, Christ so deeply loved them, enough to personally ensure their eternal security! His saving them from this furious storm, was indeed symbolic, a foreshadowing of His lifes sacrifice by crucifixion on the Cross!
These verses also spotlight the sailors lagging belief system, that effectively distanced them, closing them off from fellowship with Christ, the Author and Perfecter of their faith! Had they kept in continual conversation with their Master, not letting him fall asleep, their faith would have proved more steadfast, even in the face of blustery winds and turbulent seas! I recently read that faith is indeed to give certain hope for impossible situations! However, finding no spark of supernatural interest among His boatmates, Jesus had no door of opportunity for communing with them, so He may have indeed decided a nap was more inviting.
To the disciples credit, realizing their tumultuous circumstances were out of their control, they did race right to Christ for His intervention. While He rebuked them for their accusatory question, He arose in response to their turning to Him, displaying His absolute authority over the raging winds and waters, with His glorious Peace! Be still! Quite an affirmation, asserting the truth of Jesus deity! Something definitely different about Him, that with 3 little Words, He could transform a hurricane-stirred sea into a great calm! Note well, our Lord first being full of peace enabled Him to then bring transcending tranquility to such turmoil! Also Christ didnt have to speak many words to subdue the storm, because He had already prayed much! Now what inspiration to pray more that even brief prayers will prove powerful!!!!!!! Mark 1:35 confirms He had prayed long! Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up went to a solitary place, where He prayed.
Furthermore, His display of Supremacy over nature wasnt just for the disciples benefit. We read of other little boats also with Him. Meaning many spectators in those vessels experienced the same fierce storm. Their boats were smaller, so their lives were more at risk! They too beheld the instantaneous holy hush, were saved, and duly impacted by Jesus to keep following Him!
please see part 2 at this link
http://www.christianforums.com/t87516
It is pretty easy once you have it explained. You may already know this but I am just making sure! It was a great find for me!
