What’s your knee-jerk reaction when problems arise in your life? It’s a sad truth that even in our most frightening circumstances, we exhaust our own strength before ever exercising our faith. Sure, God gives us the tools we need to tackle, or even, prevent many of life’s problems. But, when the odds against us are insurmountable, do we struggle against the current, or do we trust God in the midst of the waves?
The fourth chapter of Mark gives us a powerful example of how easily our faith can be shaken and just how sovereign God is in every storm. Jesus and His disciples were traveling on a small boat across the sea of Galilee after a long day preaching and working many miracles. As night fell, the disciples were trusting the boat and the calm of the water to carry them safely to the other side. But suddenly, a raging storm stirred up and tossed the boat back and forth on the waves.
They became afraid and panicked. What the disciples didn’t realize was that Jesus was giving them a pop quiz: Jesus had taught them all day to put their trust only in God, so he wanted to see if they had been paying attention; They failed this quiz miserably! You see, the same storm that terrified them, rocked Jesus to sleep! They reached out to Jesus in fear, thinking He had no control or care for their situation. He awoke and spoke to the wind and sea. With nothing more than His words, “Peace, be still,” the storm vanished as quickly as it had come. Even though He sternly corrected the men for their weak faith, He truly cared and was in control all along.
Life is full of transitions! When those changes drive us to fear, our trust in God is put to the ultimate test. Even the closest followers of Jesus had a hard time learning how safe they were, trusting in God alone. Just like the men in that boat, when times get tough we often forget the power that is operating on the inside of us and fail to exercise our faith. When we follow Jesus, we have nothing to fear and that He will bring us through every time!
Live Big!
Dr. Grier
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