Never alone

I love it when I get to wake up earlier than everyone else in the house so I can spend some quiet moments with my God. He always has incredible things to teach me and today was no different. As I sat quietly on the couch looking outside the window, He revealed some important truths to me. I had just read Mark 4:35-41 where it talks about Jesus calming the storm. Now, how many times have I read this story? Most of us know this story by heart and many of us have learned about it since we were kids. But just as anything else in the Bible, there are always new things to learn and discover.

So this is how the story goes...

Jesus is tired after a long day of teaching. He had been teaching his disciples and a large crowd of listeners and in the evening He suggested that He and his 12 disciples get in the boat and cross the lake to the other side. They leave the crowd behind and step into the boat. It's a calm evening as they quietly cross the waters of the lake. Jesus is tired and lays down to sleep in the stern. While He was sleeping a big storm comes up and the situation gets quite serious. The disciples try everything to keep the boat and everyone safe, but all in vain and they were getting desperate. The storm is just too big for them! They finally remembered Jesus who was still sleeping and quickly wake Him up: "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" Mark 4:38

Don't you care? Jesus! We are in the middle of a storm. We are all about to drown in this sea of problems. The waves are too big and water is getting into the boat. Jesus, don't you care? We can't do it on our own anymore! We've tried! Trials and temptations are all around us and we just can't make it! Don't you care? How can you just lay there sleeping?

Jesus gets up and commands the storm to stay still and lovingly rebukes His disciples: "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" vs. 40

Why are you so afraid? We've been together all this time and you still don't trust in me? I'm in the boat with you. I'm going through the storm with you. Is your faith so small that all I can do is calm the storm? Why not ride the storm together? It's ok, I'm here. I'm not leaving you. I do care...more than you'll ever know...

As I read the words of this story, I could so see myself in those scared disciples. How many times have I gone through difficulties and after trying everything and realizing that I just can't do it, I finally turn to God, not to ask Him for help, but to complain that He must not care about me. Does this sound familiar to you too? We easily tend to ask the question "why? Why me?" And if God is so loving, then why does He allow us to go through such difficult things? Doesn't He care?

Years ago I read the story of a young man who had gotten cancer. The tittle of the story was "Faith Enough Not to be Healed." You can read it here. As I read his experience, I had to agree that it required a lot more faith for him to go through all he was going through and remain trusting in God, than to have his cancer simply cured. It does take more faith to go through a trial and remain faithful than to have the trial removed, and that's why Jesus asked His disciples "Do you still have no faith?"

Jesus promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us. Even if our own mother forgets us, and that's pretty difficult to happen, Jesus will never forget us. He loves us more than anyone else in this world. He knows we live in a difficult place, He knows we don't like to suffer. He didn't create us to suffer. That's why the Bible is full of promises for us during trials. God is always near us, and when we are going through problems, we can be sure that He is going through them with us. He's in the boat too!

So next time you are going through a difficult time, and you may be going through one right now, hold on to the boat and rest assured that Jesus is inside the boat with you. And if you start getting afraid ask Him to help you stay calm. Whatever He thinks is best for you, one thing is for sure. If you trust in Him, He will not only calm you, but will also ride the storm with you for He cares for you more than you'll ever know. The waves may be huge, the thunder loud, and water may be even getting inside the boat, but everything will be ok because He's with you. Just trust. Hold on! And at the end of the storm you'll be able to say like king David, who walked with God through the valley of the shadow of death ,"Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalm 23:6

 

http://lisadelay.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Ludolf_-_Christ_in_the_Storm_on_the_Sea_of_Galilee_-_16951.jpg

"Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me."

Psalm 23:4

 "I sought the Lord and He answered me. He delivered me from all my fears."

Psalm 34:4