“And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.” Matthew 8:23- 24 (ESV)
You have accepted Him as Your Savior — you have followed Christ into the boat. Now, in a stormy part of your life when the waves of despairing doubt are crashing in and you need Him the most, does He seem to be asleep?
I think that all Christians have felt that way at one time or another. I know I have. Even David in the Psalms was known to cry out and ask God why He was being so silent. But it is during those seemingly silent times that we can learn so much. What happened when the disciples in that boat called on Jesus?
Jesus was asleep as the storm raged. Why? Because he had total trust that God would protect Him. He was at peace. Jesus knew His life was protected and that God would not let Him down. He wanted His disciples to sleep in peace as well. He still does. If we have faith, we can rest in the assurance that no matter how our boat is tossed, God will be there with the life preserver.
“Jesus was….” He didn’t leave them. He was right there with them in the boat the whole time. They followed Him into the boat. He didn’t vanish in a poof into Heaven and say, “OK, it’s all yours. Now, you handle it. See you later.” No matter what we go through, we can be confident our Lord is right there beside us. We can call on Him.
Jesus responded to his disciples’ pleas for help. He calmed the waves. Maybe like the disciples, you also scream for Jesus to wake up and do something, then marvel, just as they did, when He does it. There is an older Christian song that says sometimes He calms the storm, but other times He calms His child. The point is, He calms.
Dear Lord, thank you for never leaving my side in good times and in bad.
Let me rest in Your peace knowing that whatever happens, You are with me.
Amen.
Thought: The next storm, will you scream out to call on Jesus? Or will you honker down next to Him and rest peacefully in His arms?
By Julie Cosgrove
Used by Permission
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