By Allen White
One day Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's go over to
the other side of the lake." So they got into a boat and set out. As they
sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was
being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke him,
saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!"
He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the
storm subsided, and all was calm. "Where is your faith?" he asked his
disciples.
In fear and amazement they asked one another, "Who is
this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him." Luke
8:22-25 (NIV)
Why were the disciples in the middle of a storm? Their peril
came as a result of following Jesus’ instructions. The disciples did exactly
what Jesus said and found themselves in the middle of a storm. This wasn’t just
any storm, but a squall that caused them to fear for their lives.
As Jesus pointed out, the disciples lacked faith. When we
lack faith, fear quickly fills the void. We might not fear deadly peril, but we
could certainly fall victim to fear’s cousin, worry.
The disciples’ fear was founded maybe in their experience on
these waters or the deaths of other fishermen in this type of storm. Their fear
arose from what they believed: “We’re going to drown.”
But, the disciples’ thinking was not based on the truth. The
Truth (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+14:6&version=NIV),
Jesus, was asleep in the back of the boat. Deception said that they would be
lost at sea. Truth said that the all-powerful Creator of the universe had
authority over nature. Jesus spoke to the wind and waters. Calm was produced.
The disciples’ fear didn’t subside, but was soon accompanied
by amazement. Their next statement reveals the root of their fear: “Who is
this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him." If the
disciples had known Jesus like this before their boat set sail, then their
reaction to the storm might have been very different.
What storm are you facing today? What are you worried or
afraid about? It could be that you have a misunderstanding of who God is. Look
to the Truth when your anxiety meter has hit red (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=phil%204:6-7&version=NIV).
You might not have the answer, but He does.
Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by
International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights
reserved.
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