Will You Fear Or Trust? (19 Jul 2015)

Luke 8:22-25 (NIV):
Jesus Calms the Storm

One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

The above Bible passage is a familiar one that needs no further introduction and it’s also found in Matthew 8:23-27 and Mark 4:35-41. In short, as mentioned in Mark, this happened at the end of the day on which Jesus had just shared the parable of the four soils. Jesus, being tired after a day’s of teaching, fell into a deep sleep in the boat. He was oblivious to the life threatening storm. As the boat started filling up with water, the disciples shouted to Jesus for help. After Jesus calmed the storm, He questioned his disciples’ faith.

From the above, there are a few points, which I like to suggest, we can learn and act upon :

(i) As followers of Christ, be prepared to face unexpected storms.

As Christ’s followers, we must be prepared to face storms that come into our lives. Some daily lives’ storms may include: sickness, job loss, family problems etc. When caught in the midst of overwhelming circumstances, we may be like the disciples who panicked and be overcome with a sense of helplessness even though Christ is with us.

I recall a few years ago, I had to grapple with a major work crisis. At that point of time, just like the disciples, I started to panic and was living in the fear of a job loss. However, the Lord rebuked me by U-turning the crisis which eventually, ended on a positive note. This brings me to the second point.

(ii) God is sovereign and in control.

Just as Christ was able to control the forces of nature and calm the storm, His power was also able to help us to deal with the problems that we face in our lives. It was just like how He had managed my work crisis as above. The only thing we need to do, whenever we face a crisis, is to ask Him for help through prayer and put our faith and complete trust in Him, even in the most difficult situations that we may face.

Hebrews 11:6, says:
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

(iii) We need to strengthen our faith in Christ.

After Jesus calmed the storm, He questioned His disciples where their faith was. This serves as a reminder to us believers about the need to strengthen our faith in the Lord. One of the ways we can do this is through Scripture memory. As we memorize and meditate on the Word of God, our faith in Him is constantly being strengthened.  This is akin to a healthy diet which helps to strengthen our physical body.

When the next storm comes, will you be fearful or will you be prepared to trust in the Lord?

 

Brother Justin Leo Deng Yong