Matthew 8:23-27
Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"
He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!"
When the winds and waves of life pound against your boat, and it looks as though you're going to sink, who do you turn to for help? Do you work to make your way through the storm, or do you just give up and say, "Well, whatever happens, happens. It's out of my control."?
There is one thing you can be sure of. In life, you are going to have to deal with some storms. Some are worse than others, but they always come. That's the reality of living in a sinful world. The only thing you have to decide is: How are you going to handle them when they come?
This is something you had better be clear on before they hit. You need to decide today how you're going to handle life's storms. Are you going to attack them head-on, and learn the lessons from each one; or are you going to quit when life gets tough?
There is one thing for sure: if you attack life's storms and learn the lessons, they get easier to deal with over time. Not because the storms get weaker or easier, but because you become stronger and are more prepared to deal with them.
Conversely, you only have to quit on yourself one time to make quitting a habit in your life. Don't make quitting your default mode when life gets tough.
How do you thrive through life's storms?
Do what those disciples did- Turn to Jesus! They knew they were overmatched by the winds and the waves. We aren't told how long they battled the storm before waking up Jesus, but once they realized it was too much for them, they turned to the only one who could help them. They woke up Jesus.
The good news for us is that Jesus has been exalted from his lowly human state so he never sleeps. He is always watching; waiting and ready to help us as soon as we are willing to turn to him and ask. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus taught, "Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be open to you." Jesus wants to help. In fact, he is the only one who truly can. Every storm in life is our opportunity to turn to Jesus and submit ourselves to his power and authority.
The great thing about Jesus is that he solves our problems in ways that are way better than we would even think of. We have no way of knowing what the disciples expected Jesus to do when they woke him up. They just knew that he was powerful and they were not. They knew that Jesus was their best chance for survival. We do know that they never in their wildest dreams imagined he would solve the problem by displaying his authority over nature. He got up, rebuked the winds and waves, and "it became completely calm." Jesus is the only one who can give us the peace we are looking for, even in the middle of life's most violent storms.
Jesus rebuked the disciples for their lack of faith. Their lack of faith was displayed by their extreme fear- they were terrified. Fear comes from a total lack of faith. When we trust in Jesus we have nothing to fear. We don't have to fear the storms of life because Jesus will help us through them. We don't have to fear death, because Jesus has conquered it and reigns over it. If we no longer have to fear death, why should we fear anything? Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?
Jesus has defeated Satan. He has conquered death and hell. He has redeemed us and forgiven us all of our sins. What do we have to fear? Nothing!
Take your eyes off yourself and your challenges, and look to Jesus. With man everything is impossible, but with God nothing is impossible. You can't do it alone. If you do choose to go it alone in life and become a "self-made" man or woman, you will get to go it alone in eternity as well. If you turn your back on Jesus in life, he will turn his back on you in eternity. You will be cast into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. You will spend eternity completely separated from Jesus, in hell.
That's not what he wants. He died for you. He wants you to be saved. He is holding out his hand to help you through this storm. Take it!
"Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other." -Isaiah 45:22
God bless
Jason Fredrick
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