Mark 4:35-41 - On that day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." And leaving the crowd, they took Him with them in the boat, just as He was. And other boats were with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" And He awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?" And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?"
How tired Jesus was! So tired that He lay down in the stern of the boat and went to sleep, even through the storm, even when the waves started breaking into the boat. His disciples were going nuts. Even in all their years as fishermen, they had rarely seen anything like it. So they woke Him—and not gently, either. They whined: "Teacher, don't You care that we're about to die here?"
They were right to wake Him. Jesus dealt with the storm right away. But the attitude could have used a little adjustment! As He asked them, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?"
Clearly they had a tiny smidgen of faith, or they wouldn't have bothered waking Him at all. And the same is true for us, when we find ourselves in the middle of a storm in our lives. To whom do we run? Jesus! We know that He will help us, no matter how bad the wind and the waves are. And so we fall on our knees and beg Him: "Help us, Lord!" Or if we're really losing our cool, we may whine like the disciples: "Don't You even care about what's happening to me now?"
The good news is that the Lord listens to either kind of prayer, the trusting or the whining. He has not forgotten us. Even when it looks like He's asleep, He is with us, protecting us. He knows that we need help, even when we're having an attitude problem. And He will answer us when we call for help.
We can be sure of this because of what He has already done for us, in a much more dangerous time. When we lay under the power of sin and evil, and all of us stood in danger of losing our lives, Jesus stepped in. He lay down His own life to rescue us, to break the devil's power and to bring us safely to God's harbor. He sacrificed Himself for us, so that we could share in His resurrected life forever. If He loves us that much, how much more will He not help us through the storms we face today?
THE PRAYER: Lord, You see the storms of trouble we deal with. Come and help us! Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Reflection Questions:
1. What was the scariest storm you have ever been in?
2. When has there been a storm of trouble or grief or fear in your life?
3. How did the Lord help you through it?
Today's Bible Readings: Proverbs 19-21 Acts 3
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