GIVE HIM YOUR BOAT
……… “Peace be still ………….” Mark 4:39
How do you feel about it? Are you scared? Do you try to hide? What can you do about it? The alerts came in on my phone one after the other, 'Severe thunderstorm warning for your area. Flash flood warning until 10pm EST. This is a dangerous and life-threatening situation. Do not attempt to travel unless you are fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order.' The storms had started earlier - very strong winds, torrential rainfall, hail, lightning flashing across the sky and thunder crackling in the nearby distance. I love to look at the raindrops and to hear the pitter patter sound against whatever surface it touches. The acoustic shock wave of pain shoots in my body just like the strike of the lightning. So, I lay in my bed watching the rain from the window.
There is a storm raging outside, and what can I do? I prayed and stayed still because I had no control over stopping it or even to calm it down.
I reflected on the story in Matthew 8:23-24, “and when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing." 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. And the men marveled, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?" This account gives hope and assurance that when we are in a storm the one who we abide in - Jesus is able to give the command and even the wind, the lightning, the thunder and the hail is able to obey Him. It is important for us to remember that Jesus said, "Peace Be Still," Mark 4:39. Jesus not only calmed the sea, but He also calmed the hearts of the terrified disciples. Jesus is the powerful, sovereign, supreme, and omnipotent God who assures us daily that whatever storms we face, He is able, capable and available to calm them with the same three words - Peace Be Still.
The storm that raged outside matched the fierceness of the storms that we face in our lives daily. These storms of life hit us with hails of financial distress, lightning flashes of sickness that whips against our bodies, thundering heartache of emotional instability, and copious showers of spiritual warfare. Whether we like it, yes or no, we are either going in a storm, already in a storm, or coming out of a storm. These storms are raging, but what do we do? We often like the disciples question the safety of our lives. In these moments, should we crumble and give up? No! We need to continue to anchor our hope, faith, and assurance tightly to our Savior so we are not storm-wrecked. We need to show our storms how big our God is. These storms are not meant to destroy us, but we have the opportunity to be healed and strengthened by our Peace-Speaker in our storms. Just as the Bible accounts that the storm was calmed while the disciples were still in the boat, Jesus had the power to remove the disciples out of the boat and then to calm the storm, but He did not. That's the power of our God. There is nothing impossible for Him. He tells us in Deuteronomy 31:8 that, ' He will never leave us nor forsake us.' Even in our boat of sickness, He will calm the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases. Even in our boat of financial embarrassment, He will calm our bills. Even in our boat of heartache, He will calm our storm of grief. Even in our boat of spiritual warfare, He will calm our battles and be victorious. What storm is rocking against your boat today? Use the opportunity to dig deeper into your relationship with Him. Read and memorize scripture in your boat, pray in your boat, surrender in your boat, and serve in your boat. The storm will rage, the boat will rock, the winds will blow, and worry will toss us to and fro but our Anchor in Jesus holds and every boat and storm will obey the command, 'Peace Be Still' at the voice of our Peace-Speaker. He is powerful enough to calm our storms and to keep us safe.
TODAY'S PRAYER:
Dear Lord, please help us to keep our eyes, our minds, and our faith in you. Help us surrender our storms to you and anchor our lives to your will. Be our hope and assurance as you increase our faith. Thank you for calming our storms, in Jesus' name, Amen.
REFLECTION:
How can I anchor my faith in Jesus and not my circumstances?