WHEN THE STORM STRIKES
Opening Prayer
Lord, “When I am afraid, I will trust in Thee” (Psa. 56:3).
Read Matthew 8:23–27
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
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!”
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
How do we handle adversity? What do we do when situations threaten to overwhelm us?Experienced fishermen like Peter, Andrew, James and John would have known what conditions their boats could handle. If they felt they were in immediate danger, they would have employed their considerable skill and experience to get themselves through the storm. This storm, however, had defeated them (25), so they call on Jesus. At what point in our own times of adversity do we turn to Jesus?
The disciples believe that Jesus can save them, so why does Jesus seem to rebuke them for their tiny faith (26)? Could it be that though they knew Jesus had great power, a doubt remained in their hearts about whether Jesus had power for this particular situation? What would Jesus say about my faith, and yours?
We have the benefit of the Gospel accounts so we see that Jesus has power over disease, nature and death. We know that Immanuel, “God with us,” was in the boat with those quaking men. If we know all this, surely we should face ad-versity fearlessly. The Lord is with us in all of life’s storms. He is able to bring us through every adversity.
Apply
Lay your fears before God. List them out loud and examine them prayerfully with him. What does the Spirit tell you about God’s perspective on your fears? Write down his answers.
Closing prayer
Lord, train me to focus on Your love, Your presence and power, so that I am prepared to trust You fearlessly in times of trouble.
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