Secure the hatches! Tie down the sails! Man your positions! Bottom out the anchors!
This might be some of the expression/commands that you might have heard back in the days when a crew in a ship might be on the verge of going into a storm. When there is not where else to go or to do but to weather the storm. Many of us go through storms weathering them. Some just waiting it out, yet others are tossed all over the place by storms.
Like I mention on my the first part of this three part blog, a believers life can be split three stages. Going into a storm, in the middle of a storm or coming out of a storm. We are going to be talking about how to maintain during a storm. Not to weather, cause when you weather the storm it implies that over time things might erode. We will not wait out a storm because that implies that our hands are tied. We will not be tossed around because that implies that we are at the mercy of the storm. We will be talking about how to maintain in the middle of a storm.
Matthew 8:23 talks about a storm that came upon the disciples without warning. Now keep this in mind. Some of the disciples where experience fishermen. They where used to predicting the weather. Not only that but I am sure that they might have been in a middle of a couple of storms during their fishing experience. These men where season sailors/fishermen. In verse 24 it says that a furious storm came without warning. Ain't that true with a lot of our storms? We never saw that accident coming. We never saw that legal situation growing, or we never imagine the health issue popping it's head now.
It's interesting because knowing that the disciples where fishermen you would figure that they might have been calm, cool and collective. They might have know what to do and how to navigate through it. On verse 25 it says that - The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" This struck as normal at first... you are in the middle of a storm and you feel like you are about to drown so you go ask for help, right? But wait, the person that you go ask for help is in the same boat you are in.... not only that but this person in asleep!
We can take away many things from this illustration but the one I want to mention is that the disciples not only had little faith as Jesus mention on the following verse "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" but that they really did not think about who Jesus really was. Here is the Son of Man, the Savior, The Almighty, The Lion of Judah, the Light of the World on the same boat and they are afraid that the boat is going to sink? Think about it, this man has healed, made miracles, taught with authority yet the disciples overlooked what they had seen and live through when a sudden storm hit. They let their fears cloud their judgment and knowledge of who Jesus really is/was. Many of us go through the same thing. We encounter a storm in our lives and all of a sudden we forget how much God has done in our lives. Our spiritual eyes get clouded by fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of not knowing the outcome of the storm. We forget that when we are going through a storm Jesus is in the same boat with you. He is riding the same wave you are riding. He is feeling the same up and down motion that you are feeling. The difference might be that If we have faith that He is there with us then we can have peace that no matter how bad the storm is, no matter how hard the wind blows, no matter how big the waves are we will not sink.
I want you to remember that the outcome is already determined. The end result is already worked out, and if we hold on to Jesus and have faith in who He is then know that we have the victory. We do not have to weather the storm, we should be ready for each and every storm. We don't wait out the storm, we have faith out work out our fears with his help and the knowledge of who He is. We don't get tossed and feel helpless in a storm, we should stand firm in the promises and the victory that God has already given us through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
When we understand the authority of Jesus over everything, including our lives, then we can maintain through any storm. When we have unwavering faith in Jesus, then we can feel that supernatural peace in our lives during the hard times. When we trust God completely with our safety we will then be able to believe that whatever happens in our lives is the best for us according to His will.
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