HEADED FOR A COLLISION
Jesus ordered His disciples into a boat that was headed for a collision. The Bible says He “constrained [them] to get into a ship” (Matthew 14:22). It was headed for troubled waters; it would be tossed about like a bobbing cork; the disciples would be thrust into a mini-Titanic experience—and Jesus knew it the whole time.
Where was Jesus? He was in the mountains overlooking the sea, watching the disciples and praying for them not to fail the test He knew they must go through. The boat trip, the storm, the tossing waves, the winds were all part of a trial the Father had planned. They were about to learn the greatest lesson they would ever learn—the lesson of how to recognize Jesus in the storm!
At this point the disciples recognized Him as the miracle worker, the Man who turned loaves and fishes into miracle food. They recognized Him as the friends of sinners, the One who brought salvation to every kind of humanity. They knew Him as the supplier of all their needs, even paying their taxes with money from a fish’s mouth.
They recognized Jesus as “the Christ, the very Son of God.” They knew Him as a teacher, teaching them how to pray, to forgive, to bind and to loose. They knew He had the words of eternal life. They knew He had power over all the works of the devil. But they had never learned to recognize Jesus in the storm.
This is the root of much of our trouble today. We trust Jesus for miracles and healing. We believe Him for our salvation and the forgiveness of our sins. We look to Him as the supplier of all our needs. We trust Him to bring us into glory one day. But when a sudden storm falls upon us and it seems like everything is falling apart, we find it difficult to see Jesus anywhere near. We can’t believe He allows storms to teach us how to trust. We are never quite sure He is nearby when things get really rough.
There was only one lesson for the disciples to learn in this storm—only one! A simple lesson—not some deep, mystical, earth-shattering one. Jesus simply wanted to be trusted as their Lord in every storm of life. He simply wanted the disciples to maintain their cheer and confidence even in the blackest hours of trial. That’s all!
Where was Jesus? He was in the mountains overlooking the sea, watching the disciples and praying for them not to fail the test He knew they must go through. The boat trip, the storm, the tossing waves, the winds were all part of a trial the Father had planned. They were about to learn the greatest lesson they would ever learn—the lesson of how to recognize Jesus in the storm!
At this point the disciples recognized Him as the miracle worker, the Man who turned loaves and fishes into miracle food. They recognized Him as the friends of sinners, the One who brought salvation to every kind of humanity. They knew Him as the supplier of all their needs, even paying their taxes with money from a fish’s mouth.
They recognized Jesus as “the Christ, the very Son of God.” They knew Him as a teacher, teaching them how to pray, to forgive, to bind and to loose. They knew He had the words of eternal life. They knew He had power over all the works of the devil. But they had never learned to recognize Jesus in the storm.
This is the root of much of our trouble today. We trust Jesus for miracles and healing. We believe Him for our salvation and the forgiveness of our sins. We look to Him as the supplier of all our needs. We trust Him to bring us into glory one day. But when a sudden storm falls upon us and it seems like everything is falling apart, we find it difficult to see Jesus anywhere near. We can’t believe He allows storms to teach us how to trust. We are never quite sure He is nearby when things get really rough.
There was only one lesson for the disciples to learn in this storm—only one! A simple lesson—not some deep, mystical, earth-shattering one. Jesus simply wanted to be trusted as their Lord in every storm of life. He simply wanted the disciples to maintain their cheer and confidence even in the blackest hours of trial. That’s all!