Luke 8:22-25

“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.””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭8:22-25‬ NIV

Yesterday was for the most part just another day for me. I was rocking from side to side, bobbing up and down in the waves, but I was still progressing through the day ok. Then something completely unexpected happened. A storm appeared out of nowhere, and it was horrifying. It was a monstrosity of a storm with lightening flashing and thunder roaring. With waves swooping which appeared to be miles high. With wind screaming through the air that was louder than a jet engine. All of my worst fears started coming true. I'm on this little boat in the middle of this sea and there is storm of devastation heading straight for me. It hadn't even reached me yet and it was already ripping me to pieces. I was imagining all the ways that it would kill me. Would I be struck by the seemingly endless amounts of lightening? Would my boat I had been traveling on be crushed to smitherines by the incredible force of the waves? Or would the tornado like winds just hurl me overboard, sending me to a drowning death? I didn't know how to handle the situation. I didn't know what to do. I got completely lost in my own fear and doubt and the overbearing weight of that fear and doubt broke me. All I knew was that I was going to die….. Then this morning during worship I called out to Jesus. He woke up, except when he woke up, he wasn't really sleeping, he was just waiting to receive me. He looked at me and said “Where is your faith? Have you forgotten that it was I who told you to go set out across the lake? Have you forgotten that it is I, Jesus, the son of God, that travels with you and intercedes on your behalf? That there is nothing that can surprise me? That there is nothing that I am not prepared for? That there is nothing that I can't protect you from? ” And then he rebuked the storm, melting away all my fears. And then I asked him why? Why am I even on this lake? Why do I need to be here? And then he told me, “Because you need to get to the other side, and this is the only way you are going to get there.” And then my heart became as still as the water was that day after Jesus calmed it. Today I applied what I got from this text by going to Jesus during worship this morning.

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