Anyone With Eyes To See Knows This World Is A Sinking Titanic, And If That Be So, Are We Rearranging The Furniture On The Deck Or Are We Helping To Rescue The Passengers Onto The Lifeboats. Jesus Was Able To Sleep During A Storm Because Of Who He Is; That Is The Very Same Reason Why You Can Sleep During Your Storms, Because Of Who He Is! Jesus, He's On Deck Before, During And After Every Single Storm!
Keep your eyes focused on Jesus, He's on Deck before, during and after every single storm! When the doctor gives the diagnosis, remember, Jesus is on Deck, no worries! When the bills come in, but there is no money to put out, remember, Jesus is on Deck, no fear! When the marriage foundation starts to shake, remember, Jesus is on Deck, no concerns! When friends become enemies and family becomes foes, remember, Jesus is on Deck, no more loss of sleep! If you are not getting it, do not focus on the storm, focus on your God who is still on Deck!
For years before I started into the ministry, I’d been asking God to grow me into a woman of faith. I didn’t want to merely trust the Lord for my salvation. I wanted to trust Him with my steps on earth, too. I’d read books on faith and established habits of faith. I’d talked about faith and prayed about faith. I realized I’d been making faith too complicated.
Faith isn’t a feeling or a philosophy.
Faith isn’t a principle or a prescription.
Faith is taking God at His word.
In Romans 4, the Apostle Paul uses the story of Abraham to teach us about faith that pleases God. Though Abraham was old, and his wife was barren, Abraham believed God’s pledge to make him the father of many nations. (Romans 4:18) According to Romans 4:20, “Abraham never doubted. He believed God, for his faith and trust grew ever stronger, and he praised God for this blessing even before it happened.”
Matthew 8:23-27, “And AFTER HE GOT INTO THE BOAT, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly, behold, there arose a VIOLENT STORM on the sea, so that the boat was being covered up by the waves; BUT HE WAS SLEEPING. And they went and awakened Him, saying, Lord, rescue and preserve us! We are perishing! And He said to them, why are you timid and afraid, O you of LITTLE FAITH? Then HE GOT UP AND REBUKED THE WINDS AND THE SEA, AND THERE WAS A GREAT AND WONDERFUL CALM (A PERFECT PEACEABLENESS). And the men were stunned with bewildered wonder and marveled, saying, what kind of Man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him!” (AMPC)
I am not a regular sea traveler, so I have never been in a storm at sea, and truthfully that is simply fine with me! But I have certainly heard many sea-storm stories, especially from my friends who just about live for cruises. However, you may remember the ship from some years ago, that was making a transatlantic voyage from Liverpool to New York. And just in case you do not know the story, here it goes: One night, at a time when most of the passengers were asleep, the ship was hit by this "mega" Atlantic storm. The wind and the waves were so violent at one point they tipped the ship almost on its side, and down below, the passengers were literally thrown out of their beds! Everyone is freaking out (understandably)! I mean, this is the epitome of what I would call a rude awakening!
The interesting part of this story though? There is this one cabin, where a little girl was thrown out of her bed like everybody else and her mother was already awake from the intensity of the storm. But there was one thing different about this little passenger. YOU SEE, HER DADDY WAS THE CAPTAIN! While she was all bleary eyed, she asked her mom the only thing she really wanted to know about the situation, "Is daddy on deck?" Her mom said, "yes he is, honey." The little girl's priceless response was right to the point, "THEN I'M GOING BACK TO BED."
Sounds comical, but listen to Matthew 8, beginning in verse 5. "When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him asking for help. 'Lord, he said, my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.' Jesus said to him, 'I will go and heal him.' The centurion replied, 'Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof, but just say the word and my servant will be healed, for I, myself, am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, "Go!", and he goes, and that one, "Come!", and he comes. I say to my servant, "Do this", and he does it.' When Jesus heard this, He was astonished, and said to those following Him, 'I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.'" (vss. 5-10)
The Amplified Bible reads like this: “As Jesus went into Capernaum, a centurion came up to Him, begging Him, and saying, Lord, my servant boy is lying at the house paralyzed and distressed with intense pains. And Jesus said to him, I will come and restore him. But the centurion replied to Him, Lord, I am not worthy or fit to have You come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant boy will be cured. For I also am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my slave, do this, and he does it. When Jesus heard him, He marveled and said to those who followed Him [who adhered steadfastly to Him, conforming to His example in living and, if need be, in dying also], I tell you truly, I have not found so much faith as this with anyone, even in Israel.” (AMP)
Verse 13 tells us the conclusion of it all: "Then Jesus said to the centurion, 'Go! It will be done just as you believed it would,' and his servant was healed at that very hour."
Now in this story there is a powerful insight into the kind of faith that Jesus loves - and it gets things done! It says He was ‘astonished’. I mean, this is the faith that amazes Jesus! He even goes so far as to call it great faith! Let us look at verse 10 in a few translations:
“When Jesus heard this, He was AMAZED. Turning to those who were following Him, He said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen FAITH LIKE THIS IN ALL ISRAEL!” (NLT)
“When Jesus heard this, He was SURPRISED AND WONDERED ABOUT IT. He said to those who followed Him, “For sure, I tell you, I HAVE NOT FOUND SO MUCH FAITH IN THE JEWISH NATION.” (NLV)
“When Jesus heard it, HE MARVELED, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I HAVE NOT FOUND SUCH GREAT FAITH, NOT EVEN IN ISRAEL!” (NKJV)
“When Jesus heard this, HE WAS IMPRESSED and said to the people following him, “I say to you with all seriousness that even in Israel I HAVEN’T FOUND FAITH LIKE THIS.” (CEB)
Jesus was AMAZED, SURPRISED, MARVELED, WONDERED AND IMPRESSED by this man’s FAITH! A good question to ask yourself? Would Jesus have that same response to MY FAITH? If yes, wonderful; if no, pray ‘Lord INCREASE MY FAITH’ and Help My Unbelief!
Now further on in the chapter, He says to the men who are WITH HIM CONSTANTLY, "You of little faith!" during the storm when they were freaking out, just before He "Got up and rebuked the wind and the waves, and it was completely calm." Astonished! Why? Because he finally found a man who understood the connection between FAITH AND AUTHORITY. The centurion said, "I say something to my servants, and they do it. I have total authority over them. But Jesus, someone I care about is in a crisis I cannot handle, but You have total authority over this illness. Whatever You say to this illness, it will do." Wow!
You see, faith is acknowledging the TOTAL AUTHORITY OF JESUS over this situation. That is what the disciples could not do in their storm. They acted as if Jesus did not have authority over the storm, BUT HE DID! He spoke to it like a parent would speak to a child ... and "it was calm."
So, the faith issue for you right now may very well be "who or what you believe" has the final authority in your situation. Will the company decide it? The economy? Is this disease going to have the final word? Your mate? Your kids? Your feelings? What the news is reporting? Or is everything in this situation TOTALLY UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF YOUR SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST? Yes or no! (Remember, no one can answer that, but YOU!)
If it is Jesus, then you can make that your bottom line and the panic is over! The peace that defies logic is kicking in. There is an unexplainable sense of well-being and calm that comes when you settle where the final authority is in your situation. And the shield of faith will extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one, because Satan cannot touch something that you have completely given to Jesus.
Matthew 8:23-27, “And AFTER HE GOT INTO THE BOAT, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly, behold, there arose a VIOLENT STORM on the sea, so that the boat was being covered up by the waves; BUT HE WAS SLEEPING. And they went and awakened Him, saying, Lord, rescue and preserve us! We are perishing! And He said to them, why are you timid and afraid, O you of LITTLE FAITH? Then HE GOT UP AND REBUKED THE WINDS AND THE SEA, AND THERE WAS A GREAT AND WONDERFUL CALM (A PERFECT PEACEABLENESS). And the men were stunned with bewildered wonder and marveled, saying, what kind of Man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him!” (AMPC)
Like that little girl blown around by a dangerous storm, all you need to know is if your "Savior’s on Deck." Because there is nothing He cannot handle, so you might as well go back to bed. Your Lord is in charge!
Can you imagine being trapped on a boat that is trapped during a violent storm? Can you just imagine the emotions, fears, chaos and even pain of literally being thrown around on a boat, in a storm? Sure, you can imagine all of that. Truth is that the part we struggle with trying to grasp is trying to imagine how to have the same attitude as that little girl. Is dad on deck? Yep. Okay, goodnight, I am going back to bed! Sounds insane I know! But look at what the Scripture says, “And AFTER HE GOT INTO THE BOAT…” All you need to know about your storms is simple: IS JESUS ON DECK? YES. OKAY, GOODNIGHT, I’M GOING BACK TO BED!
When the doctor gives the diagnosis, remember, Jesus is on Deck, no worries!
When the bills come in, but there is no money to put out, remember, Jesus is on Deck, no fear!
When the marriage foundation starts to shake, remember, Jesus is on Deck, no concerns!
When it seems, the children will never improve, remember, Jesus is on Deck, no stress!
When the business starts to go under, remember, Jesus is on Deck, no panic!
When the church starts emptying out, remember, Jesus is on Deck, no anxiety attacks!
When the job of 20 years lays you off in 2 minutes flat, remember, Jesus is on Deck, no nervous breakdowns!
When the loan is denied, remember, Jesus is on Deck, no flipping out!
When the tuition goes up the same time your paycheck goes down, remember, Jesus is on Deck, no more pulling out your hair!
When friends become enemies and family becomes foes, remember, Jesus is on Deck, no more loss of sleep!
If you are not getting it, do not focus on the storm, focus on your God who is still on Deck!
Mark 4:35-41, “On that same day [when] evening had come, He said to them, let us go over to the other side [of the lake]. And leaving the throng, they took Him with them, [just] as He was, in the boat [in which He was sitting]. And other boats were with Him. AND A FURIOUS STORM OF WIND [OF HURRICANE PROPORTIONS] AROSE, AND THE WAVES KEPT BEATING INTO THE BOAT, SO THAT IT WAS ALREADY BECOMING FILLED. But He [Himself] was in the stern [of the boat], asleep on the [leather] cushion; and they awoke Him and said to Him, Master, do You not care that we are perishing? AND HE AROSE AND REBUKED THE WIND AND SAID TO THE SEA, HUSH NOW! BE STILL (MUZZLED)! AND THE WIND CEASED (SANK TO REST AS IF EXHAUSTED BY ITS BEATING) AND THERE WAS [IMMEDIATELY] A GREAT CALM (A PERFECT PEACEFULNESS). He said to them, why are you so timid and fearful? How is it that you have no faith (not firmly relying on trust)? And they were filled with great awe and feared exceedingly and said one to another, who then is this, that even wind and sea obey Him?” (AMPC)
Luke 8:22-25, “One of those days He and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, let us go across to the other side of the lake. So, they put out to sea. But as they were sailing, He fell off to sleep. AND A WHIRLWIND REVOLVING FROM BELOW UPWARDS SWEPT DOWN ON THE LAKE, AND THE BOAT WAS FILLING WITH WATER, AND THEY WERE IN GREAT DANGER. And the disciples came and woke Him, saying, Master, Master, we are perishing! AND HE, BEING THOROUGHLY WAKENED, CENSURED AND BLAMED AND REBUKED THE WIND AND THE RAGING WAVES; AND THEY CEASED, AND THERE CAME A CALM. And He said to them, [Why are you so fearful?] Where is your faith (your trust, your confidence in Me—in My veracity and My integrity)? And they were seized with alarm and profound and reverent dread, and they marveled, saying to one another, Who then is this, that He commands even wind and sea, and they obey Him?” (AMPC)
Jesus was able to sleep during a storm because of Who He is; That Is The Very Same Reason Why You Can Sleep During Your Storms, Because Of Who He Is! Keep your eyes focused on Jesus, He's On Deck Before, During And After Every Single Storm!
Blessings
J.P. Olson
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