Resting in a Storm
Posted by Dion Todd November 6th, 2022 3,397 Views 0 Comments
Resting in a Storm from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.
Our Lord Jesus Christ lived on Earth as our example and lived a simple life of trust and peace. Once when Jesus and the disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee on their fishing boat, a great storm came, and Jesus slept soundly in the bottom of the vessel while the rest were stressed out. Jesus had learned to rest from stress.
(Matthew 8:23–25 NKJV) Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”
(Matthew 8:26 NKJV) But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
Jesus rebuked the storm, and the disciples for waking Him up, then probably went back to sleep. The storm was stressful for the disciples but not for Jesus. What was the difference? Jesus said it was their small amount of faith. That the disciples had "little faith."
I want to clarify that we can go past the disciple's "little faith" today, for we have their experience to build on. We have the Holy Spirit, who came down to us when Jesus went up. We have the New Testament and their lives recorded as our example while they pioneered the way for us.
It was difficult for them to learn who the Holy Spirit was while battling ideas like "Can gentiles even be saved?" or "Do men have to be circumcised to be saved?" But by doing that, they paved the way for us to go further. Yet, what have we done with that?
The Bible portrays Jesus as lovingly calm and patient. In Luke 9:55, when a Samaritan village didn't welcome them, James and John offered to call down fire from heaven and burn them up. They wanted to save Jesus the trouble. Jesus told them: "You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them."
Jesus didn't come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. What a statement! There is a stark contrast when you look back over the long and bloody history of the church that often tried to destroy anyone who disagreed with it. Destroying men's lives didn't come from Jesus.
A few chapters after calming the storm, Jesus said this:
(Matthew 11:28–30 NKJV) Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
"Rest for your souls" is something amazingly rare today. Is your soul at rest, or are you constantly stressed about what may come tomorrow? Are you terrified when storms approach and yell, "Jesus! I perish!" Or have you already prepared yourself by praying and telling the Lord about the things worrying you before they come?
I find that trouble often avoids those who are prepared for it. We once took a course by Dave Ramsey on managing your finances, and the first thing he advised was setting aside an amount of money for an emergency fund. He had lived a life full of stress and emergencies but said after he did this, the emergencies stopped coming. Oddly enough, we tried it and found the same thing.
Jesus could sleep in the boat during a violent storm because He had already prayed and had that inner peace. Jesus was prepared for whatever came His way that day. There is a direct link between peace and trusting God. When we lack peace in our lives, it comes from a lack of trust that He will take care of us. Consider Isaiah 26:3:
(Isaiah 26:3 NKJV) You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
This describes how Jesus could sleep in the boat during a storm. He completely trusted God to take care of Him. He knew He wouldn't leave the Earth until He had fulfilled His time here. Jesus wasn't concerned with tomorrow or things beyond His control. Jesus prayed. He spoke in faith, and He trusted the Father.
I am not saying that we are a failure if we can't walk on water, but Jesus rebuked those disciples for their "little faith" because they were supposed to have more of it. So learn to pray and trust Him to help you before you need it.
Also, be flexible. Don't tell the Lord how to bless your plans. Instead, get in line with His plan. Then do your part no matter how small, and let Him take care of the rest. You don't have to worry about ten thousand things you can't change. Pray, rest, and take comfort, knowing that you aren't alone in this.
You can pray this with me if you like:
Prayer: Heavenly Father, please open my mind to understand Your word. I give You my heart, and I choose to trust You today. You are my peace. You are my rest. I am not alone, for You are with me, and that gives me great comfort. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!