July 30, 2023 WHEN JESUS IS SLEEPING
Matthew 28:23-26 “And when He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And behold, there arose a great storm in the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves; but He Himself was asleep. And they came to Him, and awoke Him, saying, ‘Save us, Lord; we are Pershing!’ And He said to them, ‘Why are you timid, you men of little faith?’ Then He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and it became perfectly calm. And the men marveled, saying, ‘What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?’”
Books could be written about the amazing truths we see in this passage. But for today, lets us just look at one truth we can glean from what happened on that day on the Sea of Galilee. The storm was great, and the disciples were sure that this storm would take their lives. Most of us have faced storms and was convinced that all was lost. The disciples had witnessed Jesus performing many miracles, but in this storm, they feared for their lives; when they needed Jesus the most, He was sleeping!! Have you ever wondered or asked “Where is God when I need Him the most?” Or perhaps just in normal life you do not see evidence of Him working in your circumstances. There are times when we pray for something, but it does not happen the way we prayed. Many live with disappointments because things did not turn out as they hoped and thought they would. We can relate to the response of the disciples in the storm. But this storm took the disciples to a new level in their faith and in their understanding of who Jesus was. He allowed the storm to come; and He was present in the storm; and He would demonstrate a great truth that sustains us in the storm. Jesus calms the storms of life, but not until we are in the storm. Just because we do not see or understand how we will survive the storm does not mean that Jesus is not present. Also, we must note that Jesus was resting in the storm; let us learn from that-we should also find rest in the storms we face. Jesus was also giving His disciples the opportunity to let their faint arise to the challenge; they could either ride out the storm and live to talk about it, or they could speak to the winds and to the angry sea and see them calmed; either way it would be their faith that mattered. So, when we ask where is God, let us be reminded that He is present and He is in the process of growing our faith and our understanding of who He is. Even though at times we may not sense His presence or His working in our lives, let us be reminded that HE IS PRESENT. We may think He is asleep, but be assured that He is working in us and transforming us into His image. He’s in the boat of life!
Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Psalm 139:7 “I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence.”
Blessings, Buddy
Matthew 28:23-26 “And when He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And behold, there arose a great storm in the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves; but He Himself was asleep. And they came to Him, and awoke Him, saying, ‘Save us, Lord; we are Pershing!’ And He said to them, ‘Why are you timid, you men of little faith?’ Then He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and it became perfectly calm. And the men marveled, saying, ‘What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?’”
Books could be written about the amazing truths we see in this passage. But for today, lets us just look at one truth we can glean from what happened on that day on the Sea of Galilee. The storm was great, and the disciples were sure that this storm would take their lives. Most of us have faced storms and was convinced that all was lost. The disciples had witnessed Jesus performing many miracles, but in this storm, they feared for their lives; when they needed Jesus the most, He was sleeping!! Have you ever wondered or asked “Where is God when I need Him the most?” Or perhaps just in normal life you do not see evidence of Him working in your circumstances. There are times when we pray for something, but it does not happen the way we prayed. Many live with disappointments because things did not turn out as they hoped and thought they would. We can relate to the response of the disciples in the storm. But this storm took the disciples to a new level in their faith and in their understanding of who Jesus was. He allowed the storm to come; and He was present in the storm; and He would demonstrate a great truth that sustains us in the storm. Jesus calms the storms of life, but not until we are in the storm. Just because we do not see or understand how we will survive the storm does not mean that Jesus is not present. Also, we must note that Jesus was resting in the storm; let us learn from that-we should also find rest in the storms we face. Jesus was also giving His disciples the opportunity to let their faint arise to the challenge; they could either ride out the storm and live to talk about it, or they could speak to the winds and to the angry sea and see them calmed; either way it would be their faith that mattered. So, when we ask where is God, let us be reminded that He is present and He is in the process of growing our faith and our understanding of who He is. Even though at times we may not sense His presence or His working in our lives, let us be reminded that HE IS PRESENT. We may think He is asleep, but be assured that He is working in us and transforming us into His image. He’s in the boat of life!
Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Psalm 139:7 “I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence.”
Blessings, Buddy
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