Trusting Jesus In The StormShembull

Trust in His Presence

Before Jesus calms the storm, we read that the disciples said, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” In the book of Luke, the same story says the disciples cried, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown.” 

It’s quite clear that they thought they were going to drown! 

Have you ever started out on something adventurous that went wrong, and someone says, “ I told you this was a bad idea!” 

I wonder if there was one of those moments in the boat. The disciples’ concern is not wrong-  several of them were seasoned sailors who knew the lake well; Jesus, by profession, was a carpenter. 

As experts, they knew this storm was bad, and in the midst of it, Jesus is sleeping! They were probably thinking if he truly understood the gravity of the situation, he would be awake helping them.

If experts panic, we panic. When I’m on a plane during turbulence, I look at the flight attendants and they are calm, so am I. If they were to panic, it would permeate throughout the whole plane. 

In our passage, the experts are panicking whilst Jesus is sleeping. 

Have you ever felt like you are praying to a sleeping Jesus? 

It feels like he is not aware of how much you are struggling;  he hasn’t comprehended the danger you are in; he hasn’t realized how desperate you are, how overwhelmed you are, how all alone and all at sea you are! 

Of course, we know that God never sleeps! Psalm 121: 3-4 reminds us, “He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”

Hard-working experts are keeping us informed and up-to-date on all that is happening in terms of the Coronavirus pandemic - and it’s right that they do so; we need and value the information. 

But there are moments when on hearing that information, we could easily panic! 

But Jesus is in the boat. His presence is assured.

The Coronavirus pandemic is difficult to understand and hard to cope with, but at times like this, we need to remember we have the presence of Jesus. 

We may have moments when we wonder if he’s listening - we may even feel he is sleeping, but the Bible reassures us that he isn’t, he is present. Jesus is with you, always.

PAUSE AND PRAY

Take a moment to acknowledge your fears and worries before God.

“Lord, I trust in your presence. Today I acknowledge that you are here, and you are with me always.”