4 Minute Read
Prepare Your Heart
To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.
Read God’s Word
Genesis 25:1-26:11
Matthew 8:14-34
A Verse for Today
Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.
Matthew 8:23-27 (CSB): “As he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves—but Jesus kept sleeping. So the disciples came and woke him up, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We’re going to die!’ He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, you of little faith?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. The men were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him!’”
Reflecting on God’s Word
Life can sometimes get very hard. If life were like being in a boat, the waves could periodically get so high that they would threaten to fill our boat and sink us.
When we look at the brief story that I’ve chosen for our verses for today, we read that the disciples were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee with Jesus. In Luke 8:22-25, we observe that it was Jesus’ idea for them to get into the boat in the first place. So, they were obedient to Jesus and were in the boat with Him … and they were fearing for their lives!
We can learn at least a few spiritual principles from this short story.
First, committing to a life of obedience to the Lord Jesus doesn’t exempt us from trouble. Let me restate that because it is so important: If we obey Jesus, life may still get hard, and we may even experience injustice and trauma.
While we acknowledge this truth, we often don’t truly believe it. Have you ever had something really bad happen to you, and you prayed: “Lord, what did I do to deserve this?!” That question makes it clear that deep down, we believe that if we obey Jesus, He should make life easy for us. We need to realize that following Jesus may lead us into a storm where we fear for our lives.
Second, we need to live in complete dependence upon the Lord Jesus. I suspect the disciples were perfectly content to let Jesus sleep in that boat. Why? Because He had proved that He was in charge when He was on land, but he wasn’t a fisherman like some of them were. So, they were content to let Jesus go to sleep while they took charge of the boat.
Sometimes, the Lord has very effective ways of reminding us that it is almost always an illusion when we feel like we are in control. In those times, we need to remind ourselves that there is never a moment when we should feel perfectly sufficient apart from Jesus. Instead, we must realize that we need Him every moment of every day and then actively depend upon Him in each of those moments.
Third, we need to realize that when the Lord takes us through some tough times, He is doing so for many reasons. He may want to chisel off some of our rough edges. He may want to forge character or tenacity within us.
But among the multitude of other reasons, Jesus always wants to reveal something about Himself to us in the tough times. In this short story, the disciples became more aware of just how powerful Jesus was (“Even the winds and the sea obey him!”). So, when you go through tough times, learn from what the Lord reveals to You about Himself. Grow in your understanding of the Lord, and then grow in your enjoyment in Him.
Spend Time in Prayer
Lord Jesus, I realize that I sometimes act like the disciples in the boat. I’m focused on obeying You, and I know that You are with me, and yet my heart still grows fearful as bad things happen. Help me to trust You more, to rest in Your care. And even when I falter in my desire to rest in You during difficult times, help me to continue to learn more about You so that I can know You more and enjoy You. I pray this in Your Name, Amen.
Going Deeper
If you want to go deeper, check out this article by Got Questions: “What is the significance of Jesus calming the storm?”
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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com).
Matt’s Musings 