Matthew 8:23-26,  Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.  And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea so that the boat was covered with the waves.  But He was asleep.  Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us!  We are perishing!”  But He said to the, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?”  Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

How’s the weather been in your area?  Right now, as I write we have a severe thunderstorm warning and it’s pretty black outside and well… it’s not looking real good out there. You just never know the potential of any storm that comes your way, do you?  I think about the night when Abby and I were playing a board game at the kitchen table and I was watching the storm north of us out of the window behind her and even though we barely had a cloud in the sky at our house, all of a sudden I couldn’t see out the window behind her ~ at all!  It was white!  I couldn’t even see the gazebo top which is just a couple of inches from the window!  They never really decided if it was a downburst or a tornado, but it wreaked havoc in our neighborhood.  It literally seemed to come out of nowhere and without really any warning!  It was the craziest storm I have ever experienced.  Kind of like some of the “life storms” we face at times, isn’t it?  (And now we have hail and power going on and off ~ LOL ~ dramatic effects to help me write?)

Now, first, notice that the disciples were following Jesus.  The horrific storm didn’t come because they were doing something wrong or doing their own thing.  They were headed to the other side so Jesus could do a great work over there, there was a purpose for where He was taking them.  Are you going through some terrible life storms right now, or do you know someone close to you who is?  Some storms come and go and you think “whew, I made it” and then there are those storms that come and just like the disciples in these verses, you feel as though you aren’t going to make it!  For some reason, I have heard multiple times over the last month, “don’t forget ~ Jesus is in your boat”, even in our pastor’s sermon last Sunday.  I have to admit, I was almost on the edge of “irritated” because I thought, “I know He is in my boat!  I know I am not alone!  What exactly is that supposed to mean and what are you trying to tell me, Lord?”  Then I listened to another sermon and I understood that Yes, Jesus is in the boat and I need to stop agreeing with the storm and take any fears, frustrations, heartaches, and concerns to Him and trust Him with it all because, not only is He in the boat, but He is in control!  He’s got you!  One of the most encouraging words you need to understand as well is the fact that you need to remind yourself that satan wouldn’t be coming after you if He wasn’t concerned about what God is about to do through you!  

So, take heart in the storm knowing that God will get you through to the other side better and more mature so you can serve Him on an even greater level. You will make it!  Agree with God, not the storm!  Take the time to praise Him for all He is about to do in and through you, knowing that truly His best is yet to come if you will keep following Him.  

Quote:  “Faith believes in spite of the circumstances and acts in spite of the consequences.”  ~ Adrian Rogers