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Keep the Faith - Tuesday, April 3rd, 2007

“On that day, when evening came, He said to them, ‘Let us go over to the other side.’ Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’ And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Hush, be still.’ And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid? How is it that you have no faith?’ They became very much afraid and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?’”
- Mark 4:35-41

Picture with me this 1st Century scenario. It was at the end of the day. It was a long day of work. It was a long day of ministry. The disciples were tired. They wanted to rest. Yet, as they were headed across the 8-mile Sea of Galilee a fierce storm had developed. The wind was blowing. The waves were crashing. The boat was beginning to fill with water. Obviously the disciples were growing concerned. This could be a disastrous situation and the boat could be in trouble. Their lives could be in danger. Therefore, the disciples decided to turn to Jesus. Where was He? Jesus was fast asleep in the stern with His head resting on a pillow. The disciples had grown nervous and they had become scared. The boat was possibly in dire straits, and YET Jesus was asleep. So the disciples asked, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

Now, please picture with me a 21st Century example. It had been a busy day. Early mornings and late evenings. The meetings have been good, yet there wasn’t enough time in the day. Too many emails to respond to. Too many volunteers to find. Too many counselors to find. Too much money to raise. It feels as if the days are squeezing me in. I am down to how many days? 6 days until the opening day of the 40-day tent revival. Trust me, I am just like one of the disciples. I am growing nervous. I am getting concerned. Therefore, just as the disciples did, I ran to Jesus crying for help, saying, “Jesus, I could use a little help here. Do you not care that I am swimming in logistics? What about all these details? Could You please help?”

In both scenarios, the 1st Century and the 21st Century, I think Jesus’ face would have showed frustration. In the disciples 1st century situation, Christ simply “got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Hush, be still.’” In the 21st Century, I think Jesus would get up once again and say to me, “Relax, the volunteers, counselors, and funding will be provided.” But regardless of the timeframe Christ would say to each one of us when we grow nervous and scared, “Why are you afraid? How is it that you have no faith?” This is a convicting passage. Do I BELIEVE that Jesus Christ is really in charge? Or do I let my “control” personality get in the way? I think I do. And when I don’t see immediate results, I don’t rely on my faith. I look at the difficult situation and become nervous. Just as the disciples were probably physically nauseous because of the hard-hitting waves, I too am nauseous. But this inner nauseous-ness is because of my unbelief. I need to trust and rely on my faith in Christ. He will calm the waves of my life. He will calm the wind being blown at me. Jesus Christ is in control. Therefore, let us pray that each of us become individuals of faith in every situation. Regardless if the boat is filling up with water, we need to turn to Christ not out of desperation but out of faith.
- klm
" We cannot organize revival, but we can set our sails to catch the wind from Heaven when God chooses to blow upon His people once again."

- G. Campbell Morgan


 
   
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