23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

Matthew 8:23-27 (ESV)

Cross the lake

Last post, Jesus told the disciples to cross to the other side of the lake. One day, a guy was walking along the shore of a long lake. He saw a guy yell out from the other side, “Hey you! How do you get to the other side of the lake?” He thought about it for a moment and yelled back, “You ARE on the other side of the lake!”

Kidding aside, the focus of the last post was the cost of discipleship – suffering and priority.  Today’s post gives a wonderful example of those costs and dangers.

Facing fears

One summer night, my dad and I sailed across Lake Michigan. A college friend of mine, who went with us, headed below after 1 hour due to sea sickness and slept the whole 12 hour trip. A huge thunderstorm with 10 foot waves came and I felt like these disciples – I thought we would sink and die. I also cried out in prayer for God to save us. So I don’t blame these guys (many of whom were professional fishermen used to storms). Like Jesus, who was probably exhausted, my friend slept through it!

Fostering faith

They wake up Jesus and He first rebukes them for their lack of faith. They had heard Jesus speak with authority and seen him heal a leper, then a centurion’s servant, Peter’s mom and a multitude of sick folk. Can’t He also handle this? But this was not healing people and casting out demons. This was major – dealing with nature; their lives were at stake.

What a great opportunity for Jesus to expand their faith in Him beyond healing to control of nature. Can you imagine the scene? He rebukes them…but the boat is still sinking! Jesus didn’t fake his sleeping in order to set up the teaching. He was probably exhausted from teaching and healing. Rather, He simply calmly assessed the situation, took advantage of this “teachable moment” then fixed the problem. Then He rebukes the sea and it immediately is calm.  Pregnant pause. Awe and wonder ensue. You could hear a pin drop.

RЯeflection

• Can you rest, as Jesus did, in the midst of a storm? It all depends on your perspective and faith. If we truly trust that God is in control, what do we need to fear? What do I need to fear? Consider your life right now. What do you fear? Be honest. Now, confess it and ask God to teach you faith through this trial. It’s the only way we can learn. (I’m applying this now as I type!)
• Jesus doesn’t always “fix the problem.” His goal in allowing trials and tests is to develop our faith so we will trust Him which brings glory to the Father. If allowing the test to continue better achieves His goal, be ready to accept that and give thanks…in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).