Daily Bible Study

Tweet

Day 28 Luke 8:22 Luke 8:22 Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. 23 But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. 24 And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commands even the winds and water, and they obey him. Acts of nature are something we live with daily. Somewhere there is severe weather with hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones, mudslides, earthquakes. Storms rise up due to atmospheric conditions, causing a lot of damage in a short amount of time. Jesus told his disciples to take the ship to the other side of the lake, and he went into the back of the ship and fell asleep. Meanwhile, a gale rose up and threatened to drown the ship. Matthew 8:24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. (KJV) When the disciples woke Jesus to get his help against the storm, he told the storm to cease. Amazed the disciples didn’t know what kind of man Jesus was because he rebuked the wind and sea and they obeyed him. Jesus further amazed them when he asked them where their faith was. As Christians, you’ve read this story many times, and wished you had power over nature when sudden storms come up and threaten your life. Somehow, we’ve gotten it in our heads that only Jesus could rebuke the wind and waves. Only Jesus could take care of the storms in our lives. Jesus asked the disciples, ‘Where is your faith?’ Jesus did not tell them he was the only one who could calm the storm. He told them they could too when he asked them where their faith was. Where is your faith? When storms threaten to overpower you, cause destruction to your home and your life, what do you do? Do you panic, or do you stand against the storm? I’ve heard of people who stood against the storm and the storm turned or ceased altogether. I’ve read stories of destruction, yet one house on a block wasn’t affected, or a church where people gathered didn’t see any damage, when it was all around them. Jesus told his disciples the power he had, was theirs also. What he did, they could do. Luke 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (KJV) Satan is your enemy, and Jesus gave you power over your enemy. He gave it to his disciples while he was with them, and he gave it to them when he went back to his Father, after his resurrection from death. Jesus’ power and authority, is your power and authority. You have the means to stop the storms in your life. It only takes faith to make it happen. Faith stops you from doing what Jesus told you, you could do. How much faith do you need to turn a storm? Mark 11:22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. 23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he says shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he says. It doesn’t take much faith to believe, you just need to believe, trust God, and God will take care of the storm in your life. Matthew 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. (KJV) Mustard seed faith will cause the storms to cease. You too will be able to rebuke the wind and sea, and calm will return. Let’s pray: Father, my faith is absent when storms rise up against me and threaten my life. Give me the faith I need to bring calm to my life and cause the storms to cease. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 19 September 2018 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay