After a day spent in a boat teaching in the Sea of Galilee, Jesus said to His disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” (vs. 4:35). Once they started moving, a weary Lord curled up on a cushion at the back of the boat and fell fast asleep. Soon after a fierce storm arose and began violently tossing the boat, filling it with water. Jesus was awakened to shouts of panic and fear with the disciples crying out,”Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing.” (vs. 4:38)
Can you relate? Have you ever found yourself facing down a storm and crying out to the Lord; wondering why He’s letting you be tossed about and if He even cares? The truth is of course, He does care. And although we may feel frightened, helpless and alone, in actuality Jesus is right there in complete control; ready, willing, and able to see us safely to the other side. All He asks of us is that we trust in Him and His love for us.
Many people mistakenly believe that the life of a Christian is one filled with perpetual calm waters and beautiful horizons. But nowhere in the Bible does God promise an easy life. In fact throughout the Scriptures we are warned of quite the opposite. We read story after story of those who faced trials and tribulations. Even the disciples, with the Savior Himself riding in their boat, didn’t escape the whirlwind.
Each storm and the way we respond to it reveals the depth of our faith in God. At the first sign of trouble do we fall to our knees in hopelessness and despair, or do we fall to our knees in prayer to the Lord? Do we cry out to Him in panic or do we listen for His calming voice? Having the kind of faith which produces a peace no storm can shake isn’t easy. Even the disciples, with all that they had witnessed Jesus say and do, gave into fear and doubt with each crashing wave.
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear” (Ps. 46:1-2) It is only by placing our trust and faith in Jesus that can we experience the peace of knowing no matter what comes our way, just as He rescued the disciples, the Lord will rescue us. The apostle Paul knew this well. He found the secret to having peace in every situation, strength to weather any storm, and courage to endure any persecution. He placed His hope and faith in Jesus alone saying, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:13)
“Adversity has a way of pushing us beyond ourselves where we find God waiting to gather us in His arms. Held under the canopy of God’s presence we discover a sense of security and hope that we thought had evaded us.”....Dr. Charles Stanley
More often it’s not the happy times when we feel closest to God, but rather the darkest. The storms in our lives have a way of showing us just how very weak we are and how much we need the saving grace of Jesus. A grace that in His love, He offers without hesitation. Even when the disciples demonstrated a lack of faith, Jesus didn’t waste a moment in quieting the sea; and He promises to do the same for us. So the next time you find yourself battling the waves and weathering the storm, let Jesus calm you as He calmed the waters. Listen for His voice whispering in your ear, “Hush, be still” “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (vs. 4:39-40)
I hope you will join me today in sending prayers out to those affected by Hurricane Florence. May God send His love, comfort, and healing to those who are grieving, who are injured, and who have lost their homes and livelihoods. May He also keep safe those who are responding to calls for rescue and aid, and give wisdom to those in charge of the cleanup and meeting the needs of the people....Amen
