BE LIKE JESUS IN YOUR STORMS
This blog is about the story of Jesus falling asleep in a boat during a storm, as recorded in Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, and Luke 8:22-25.
The authors of this account shared different ministry events Jesus was involved in before getting into the ship. Matthew shared that Jesus healed a leper, the centurion’s servant, and Peter’s mother-in-law, and that he discussed the cost of following Him with a scribe. Mark and Luke shared similar experiences of Jesus spending time teaching the multitude using parables. He taught parables about the Sower, the lamp, the growing seed, and the mustard seed. After a day of miraculous healings and teaching, Jesus was tired, so He sent the multitude away and got in a ship with His disciples, with other smaller ships accompanying them as they sailed from Capernaum to the country of the Gadarenes.
Exhausted, Jesus went to the back of the ship, lay down, and fell asleep. While He slept, a major storm developed to the point that the waves filled the ship with water, and the disciples thought the ship would capsize. Fearing for their lives, the disciples went to Jesus and woke Him up. They said to Him, “Lord, save us, we perish.” Jesus replied to them, “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, which immediately responded and became calm. Amazed with what happened, the disciples said, “What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!”
A number of Jesus’s disciples were fishermen, so they no doubt had experience sailing in the dark and occasionally experiencing turbulence, but apparently this storm was different and made them exceedingly fearful. On the other hand, Jesus knew His assignment, and He slept during the storm. Thus, when He questioned the disciples about their faith, He was probably perplexed by their response to the storm. Knowing the disciples had been with Him, experienced His ministry and teaching, they should have realized the following:
!. With Jesus on board, they were not going to perish.
2. They had the authority to rebuke the elements.
Furthermore, from this story, believers must realize the following:
1. Storms will arise even when you have Jesus with you.
2. Storms cause unfavorable conditions, sounds that will distract you, limit your visibility, and shake your equilibrium
3. Sometimes, because Jesus appears unresponsive to your storm, you will think He is inattentive to your needs.
4. When you place your confidence in Jesus, you can go to sleep and rest through stormy situations.
5. Learn to speak to your storms. The environment must learn your voice.
6. Tell your problem about God, instead of telling God about your problem.
I pray this blog has helped you, as it helped me remember some vital principles as I wrote it.
