Jesus, rain and faith

Jesus was on a boat with his disciples. He decided to take a nap. While he was sleeping a fierce storm came up. Waves were crashing over the top of the boat. The disciples feared for their lives so, in a panic, they woke Jesus shouting, “we are going to drown!”

Let’s stop the tape.

Can you identify with the passengers? It appeared the boat was about to sink and what was Jesus doing, sleeping! The disciples acted as if they didn’t alert their sleeping master he wouldn’t know that they were in danger. At that precise moment they were acting very much like you and me. We somehow think it is our job to let God know what he needs to do to care for us. So, we go wake God up.

Okay, start the tape again. How does Jesus respond to being awakened? Saying that their faith was small, he asks the disciples why were they afraid. The truth is that whether Jesus slept or not he was still in command of all that was going on. The parallel for us is that Jesus is always watching out for us and praying for us whether we ask him to or not, whether we recognize it or not. We are not to ask in doubt, as the disciples did, but we are to ask in confident faith.

Why?

Because the wind, the waves, the storms of life are all obedient to Jesus Christ, the Lord of Heaven and Earth. You don’t have to live in fear. You can live in faith, knowing your God will never leave you or forsake you!

Matthew 8:24-27
Suddenly 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!”

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