Lessons From the Land: The GospelsSample

Over the next four days, we’re going to do a few object studies of Bible stories and their application for us today. We’re going to look at things like a first-century boat, an oil lamp, fishermen, and the ruins of an ancient temple, and pick out the lessons we can each use, in our lives, in the 21st century. If you have children, this plan would be a great one to go through with them as these lessons are not meant to be complicated. Today let’s begin with storms.

Fishing boats in the first century weren’t very big. In the video you just watched you can get an idea of their size from the boat that was discovered in the 1980s. Now imagine being on that boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee when a violent storm pops up. In Matthew 8:23-27, we see how that story plays out for Jesus and the disciples as they’re traveling across the sea. It says a great storm arose and the boat was being swamped by the waves. I think I’d have been screaming louder than anyone else in that boat. It’s no wonder the disciples thought they were going to die.

We know how the story ends and we know they lacked faith (Jesus says so himself) but they did recognize that Jesus was able to save them. Do we recognize that fact today? How often are we caught up in storms of life and find ourselves screaming for help to whoever will listen when what we really should be doing is praying?

God is able to deliver us. He is bigger than any of our storms. It’s up to us to have faith in his strength.