Look Who's in the Boat!
Opening Prayer
Lord, You are good. The world, the devil and my circumstances throw that into question. I choose to believe You.
Read Matthew 8:23-27
[23] Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. [24] Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. [25] The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” [26] 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. [27] The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
How do you react like the disciples here?In Jewish thought, the seas represented the forces of chaos, forces that could only be controlled by God (see Psa. 89:9). So Jesus’ power over the storm is a clue to his true identity. The answer to the question in verse 27 rings through the Old Testament: The only one who commands the unruliest of nature’s elements is God himself. Matthew hints at spiritual forces behind the storm. The word “rebuke” (26) is the same word used to describe Jesus’ casting out or rebuking of evil spirits. It should reassure us to know that, whatever the root of our troubles, natural or spiritual, Jesus Christ is in ultimate control. The disciples did not experience peace in the midst of turmoil (25,26) because they did not understand who was in their boat. The same could be true of us: Do we allow fear to trump faith because we fix our eyes on our problems rather than on Jesus Christ? He is the one “in our boat” even in the eye of the storm!
Apply
Invite Jesus, ruler of all, to bring his peace and his resolution into the storms in your life and in the lives of others.
Closing prayer
Lord, help me to trust You and to fix my eyes on You and not the storms. Help me rest as I wait for You to quiet the storm.
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