And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat against the ship, so that it was now full.
And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him and say unto him, Master carest thou not that we perish?
And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, “Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?
And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
Mark 4:37-41 HCSB
Why are you afraid? Sometimes we become fearful over things like finances. Sometimes we become fearful over losing our jobs. Sometimes we become fearful of illness. We may fear spiders or closed in spaces. But whatever we fear, we can face it with God by our side.
Now, it’s easy to Monday morning quarterback this story and say, “They had Jesus in the boat with them, why were they afraid?” But we could ask ourselves the same questions. Jesus is right there for us to call on, so why are we afraid? We know that the winds and the waves obey Him. If God is for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31)? Yet, still we allow fear to creep into our hearts and our minds.
Before you get too upset with yourself, know that the devil is playing a huge part here. The devil knows that if he can get you to fear and lose faith that he can bring a great deal of chaos and turmoil into your life. A little rain shower can seem like a tropical storm. The devil wants us to be afraid. The devil wants us to fear. Our fear takes our focus off of Jesus. When Jesus was sleeping in the boat, the disciples weren’t thinking about how awesome it was that they were actually living with Jesus in the flesh. They were terrified of the storm. They weren’t focused on all the miracles they had seem Him perform. They weren’t focused on Him at all until they were upset by his sleeping when they thought they were going to die. They were distracted and this is one of the techniques that the devil loves to use because it is very effective.
God doesn’t want us to lead chaotic lives, he wants our lives to be steady. He wants us to have good lives filled with peace and joy. Yes, the storms are going to come, but He wants us to trust that He is in control. He wants our trust in Him to shine like a beacon to guide the lost to Him.
For the disciples, Jesus was right there. All they had to do was call out to Him. It’s the same for us. He’s right there. He is waiting and longing for you to call. He wants to help you. He wants to calm the storms that are raging in your life. He wants to bring you peace and joy. But for Him to do this, you must first believe. You must believe that He is the Almighty God and that no problem you ever face is bigger than He is. You must believe that there is nothing that He can’t do. You must trust in Him.
Our trust should also be accompanied by obedience. Psalm 34:17 tells us that when the righteous cry for help the LORD hears them and delivers them from their trouble. Proverbs 15:29 tells us that the LORD is far from the wicked, but hears the prayers of the righteous.
If your life seems to be spinning out of control, why not let Him restore peace? Why not let Him calm the storm that rages all around you? Why not let Him speak peace and calm into your life? He is right there with open arms, waiting for you to come to Him. Why not do that today?
Have a great day!