Wednesday, November 11 2020 Devotional
"He said to them, 'Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?'"
Mark 4:40
These words seem strange to us in their context. As they were crossing the Sea of Galilee a tremendous nighttime storm had arisen and they were in fear of being sent to the bottom of the sea, boat and all. They were naturally frightened; they were literally in fear for their lives.
Have you ever felt that way? The storm rages around you and you realize how small and impotent you are in the grip of that massive force. You realize that these powers are way beyond anything that you can control or even affect in even the slightest way, no matter how hard you try.
The Disciples did the right thing. They turned to Jesus in their fear. He dismissed the storm, quieting it with a word, as a father might quiet the raging of a little child. “Peace! Be still!”
But then He pointed out their lack of faith. Their fear and panic were inappropriate for people who were traveling with the Son of God in their boat. Didn’t they know that He was there with them? Hadn’t they caught on yet to the fact that nothing could happen to them without His permission? Didn’t they know that all of this massive, raging power was completely within His power to summon or dismiss, no matter how it appeared?
We, too, are in the midst of raging powers far beyond our control. We are overwhelmed by the virus pandemic on one hand and the political situation on the other, and we fear that we are being swallowed up by a storm of events that we are impotent to change in the most minimal way. We wonder what the future holds.
The Lord could ask us, too, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”
Do we believe that Jesus is Lord? Or don’t we believe that? If that is true, then we will face the future, no matter how the storm rages, with confidence, because the Lord Jesus is in the boat with us.
When we are frightened by the raging storm, we turn to Him, cry out to Him, and put it into His hands. But even while the storm rages, there is no need to fear. Jesus is Lord.
Lord Jesus, forgive me for taking my eyes off of You and being so impressed by the storm. I know that You are the Lord of it all. I will cry out to You, but I will not fear, for You are with me. Amen.
Pastor Dan Giles