There is a lot to be stressed out about these days. Who would have ever imagined that there would be so many days when our kids couldn’t go to school? People have lost their business. Others have lost their job. Some are upset about the election. Some are standing in food lines for the first time in their life. You might think, “These are terrible times.”
I am currently reading a book that takes place during WWII. The problems we face today in the western world don’t compare to the problems imposed on people around the world during WWII. People stood in long lines for hours to get a crust of bread and soldiers went barefoot in snow. People disappeared and were never seen again. Things can always get worse.
Perhaps harder times than these are on the way. Are we ready? Is our faith strong? Have we learned how to lean on the Lord?
Read the following passage:
35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Mark 4:35-41 NIV
Why do you think the Lord almost let the boat sink before He saved His disciples? Take a minute and write down your answer before you read on.
Why did Jesus take a nap? He knew a storm would come, yet he intentionally left them on their own. I think He wanted to show them what they would do in a crisis.
At first, I think they depended on their own ability to survive a storm. After all, they were fishermen. But after the waves nearly swamped the boat, they finally reached out to Jesus. “Don’t you care if we drown?”, they said. He rebuked the storm and told the waves to “Be still!” Immediately the water was calm.
Normally, storms die down gradually over a period of hours. This one stopped so suddenly that the disciples “were terrified” because it was obvious that the water had obeyed His command.
I think Jesus wanted to show them what would happen when they depended on their own strength. And then He showed them what would happen when they put their trust in Him.
So today, when there is a crisis, let us first look to our Lord instead of fighting the battle in our own strength. I think the Lord is teaching us during these times. Perhaps He is preparing us by strengthening our faith.
Safety, however, is not the absence of trouble but rather, the presence of Jesus. The Lord has command over all things, including nature, even when it does not appear that way from a human perspective.”
David Jeremiah
May we learn to trust Him today so that we will be ready for tomorrow.
I am reminded of these words from Great Is Thy Faithfulness: “strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow”.
“These tests have come to prove your faith and to show that it is good. Gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire. Your faith is worth much more than gold and it must be tested also. Then your faith will bring thanks and shining-greatness and honor to Jesus Christ when He comes again.” 1 Peter 1:7 NLT
With Love,
Cindy
This Is My Journey Unscripted.
Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?
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