“What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
Seasoned fishermen. Long hours on the water. Tough & capable.
Words we could use to describe Jesus’ disciples.
These men were probably more at home on the water than on the land.
And so they knew when it was time to be concerned. And they were there.
They found themselves in a storm so fierce that they feared for their lives.
Does that sound familiar to your own situation? We are seasoned at handling the things in life that blow our way. We are completely self-sufficient, or so we think. But then we unexpectedly find ourselves facing a storm of life that is so far beyond our own control. A storm that, when it slams into us, we are helpless & hopeless as we try to face it on our own.
The disciples tried to handle the storm in their own power… “We are the fishermen. We are used to the water. Jesus is just a carpenter. Why wake him? What could he do to help?” This, of course, is the root of the problem in many of our situations… failing to call upon Jesus soon enough due to our fighting the terrible storm in our own strength.
But eventually the disciples accepted their own inability to master the situation. And at that moment they had at least one necessary ingredient for true faith — an awareness of their helplessness as they realized… “We’re going to drown!” At that moment they cried out to Jesus – mostly out of desperation rather than with faith that he would actually stop the storm, since they did not yet have a full grasp of who He was.
But when Jesus heard their cry, He did something about it. And it proved who He was.
Jesus is not only able to rescue… He desires to do so!
Certainly He can do so regarding our eternity, but as the disciples found out, Jesus also desires to bring rescue in our everyday lives. Jesus wants to be our daily Savior – saving us from the life we would have without Him. He says – “I have come that you might have life, life more abundantly.”
And the type of saving He provided – that of perfect calm – tells us what kind of man Jesus is.
The One with complete power and authority over all things.
Such power can do far more than just calm a storm or heal a sickness. It can transform life. That’s the business He’s in, and that is what this storm story is really about – who Christ really is. Though the disciples are rescued, the story is not really about what we can get out of Him, but rather that Jesus – One who has the power to end a storm with His voice – can be no less than God Himself. Therefore, He is worthy of worship, irrespective of when & How he chooses to use that power in our lives.
And if that is the truth, then we need to…
1. Be about the business of the Father – not your own business;
2. Be anxious for nothing – know that you are in God’s hands;
3. Don’t wait to cry out to God – He wants to be your daily Savior – helping you to experience daily abundant life and transformation; and
4. Know that Jesus is God, and He has the power to save completely & will use that power in our lives to bring glory to Him.
Sometimes Jesus will use His power to still the storms in our lives, and sometimes they will be unstilled – but it will always be done in a way that will bring glory to His name – something that we should be honored to be a part of.
How has Jesus stilled storms of life you faced?