Fear of the Storm
We are all affected by the voice of fear. Often it speaks far louder than the voice of God, but it speaks lies. It's the voice that tells us things are only going to get worse. It's the voice telling us that we are failing and will never be able to pick ourselves up. It's the voice that seeks a reaction - panic, anxiety, and stress. Jesus wants the opposite for us, and that's why fear will never lead us to our best lives. What gets us through the storms of life is Jesus' faithfulness, not fear. Faith and fear is incompatible, they don't go together.
In Mark chapter 4, the disciples are terrified because of the storm and Jesus is sleeping in the boat. The disciples wake Him up and ask, "Teacher, don't you care that we are going to drown?" They assume that the lack of perceived action on Jesus' part is due to a lack of compassion; in the midst of a storm, it becomes very easy to question God's caring and ability to act.
The disciples went to Jesus with their concern, with their fear, and with their worry. When we give those to God, you leave Him room to act and perform miracles, and that's what He did for the disciples. He silenced the waves and calmed the storm. He can do this for you too. He calms our hearts and gives us peace everyday - sometimes we just have to take the first step towards Him.
Always remember who is in your boat - God Himself! He will never abandon you; you will never have to do life on your own. Hallelujah!
~Nicole
"That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” -Mark 4:35-41
