“But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.” Luke 8:23–24 The human nature of Jesus is clearly on display in this story of the storm that came as the disciples sailed across the sea. He was tired, and He went to sleep. Even when a serious storm came, so much so that the disciples feared for their lives, He continued to sleep. He had no fear, unlike the disciples. Henry Drummond said, “Christ’s life outwardly was one of the most troubled lives that was ever lived: tempest and tumult, tumult and tempest, the waves breaking over it all the time. But the inner life was a sea of glass. The great calm was always there.” The question that Jesus asked the disciples after He calmed the storm reveals clearly the source of the problem. “And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him” (Luke 8:25). They had no courage because they had no faith. In every crisis we are faced with a choice: will we believe what God says even though we do not see how things will work out, or will we give in to our fears and abandon our course? The Lord has not promised us smooth sailings. Things will go wrong and storms will come. Instead He has promised us His presence. Nothing happens to the child of God that is not part of His purpose and plan for our lives. Today’s Renewal Principle: If our faith is strong, our courage will not fail no matter how much the storms rage.
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 14:46:08 +0000