35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.
36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.
37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?
—Mark 4:35-36 (KJV)
The disciples were in a great storm. They thought they were going to perish at sea. However, when they called on Jesus, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, be still. Afterward, He asked them, ‘Why are you so fearful? How come you have no faith? The disciples forgot that Jesus said, “Let us pass to the other side. The problem was not that they awoke Jesus. It was how they did it: without faith.
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
(Hebrews 11:1) It is only by faith that we please God. (Hebrews 11:6)
For many of us, this year has been a storm: fire, hurricanes, pandemic, racial tensions, loss of loved ones, broken relationships. Many of us are wondering, “God, Where are you?” Can I tell you He is on the ship? Silence does not mean He is absent. Fear blinds us to the presence of God in our life. For the disciples, Jesus was right there with them; however, fear made them think they were going to die. To defeat fear, we need faith. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17) Who are we listening to? Despite what we see or hear, we must cling to God’s Word.
Faith is not how we feel on the inside. We can be shaking in our boots; however, when we lean upon Him, we come out bold as a lion. In fact, the righteous are as bold as a lion. (Proverbs 28:1) With God, it is never an “I can’t” but “He can.” When the enemy comes in like a flood, he has to line up to God’s standard. (Isaiah 59:19) Furthermore, He has to seek God’s permission to attack. (Job 1:9-12)
Our shield of faith protects from fear. To fight effectively, we must speak the word of God only. When there’s sickness, God says, “I am one that heals you.”(Exodus 15:26) They say that there is no hope. God says, “I am your hope.” (Psalm 71:5) They say that the economy will crash. God says, “I am your provider.”(Matthew 6:31-33)
Every promise in the Bible is for the believer. However, if you never received Christ, I implore you to receive Him as your Lord and Savior. Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Today is the day for salvation.
May God strengthen and bless you.
Yours in Christ,
Dr. Barbara Kile Mathews, Pastor
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