Our Shelter In The Storm
And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. (Mark 4:37)
The waves were probably excited by Satan, who, having got the author and all the preachers of the Gospel together in a small vessel, thought by drowning it, to defeat the purposes of God, and thus to prevent the salvation of a ruined world. What a good opportunity this must have appeared to be to the enemy of the human race!
No doubt they baled out the boat with all their might, and did their best, as well seasoned fishermen and sailors, to prevent it from sinking. Yet “ it was now full of water.” But where was their Lord and Master, and what was he doing while the storm was raging?
And he waves in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: (Mark 4:38)
So too, the Christian life may have more stormy weather than calm seas. The disciples needed rest, but they encountered a terrible storm. As Christ’s followers today, let us be prepared for the storms that will surely come. Do not surrender to the stress, or the terrors, but remain resilient and steadfast. Recover from setbacks through Christ. With faith in Christ, you can pray, trust, and move ahead. Push through. When a brutal storm approaches, lean right into the wind and trust God.
Many that have true faith, are weak in it. Christ’s disciples are very prone to be disquieted with fears and terror in a stormy day; to torment themselves that things are getting really bad with them, and with dismal thoughts that they will be worse. Great storms of doubt and fear in the soul, under the power of the spirit of bondage, sometimes end in a wonderful calm. Created and spoken by the Spirit of adoption. They were astonished. They never saw a storm so turned at once into a perfect calm. Our Jesus that can do this, can do any thing, which encourages confidence and comfort in the most stormy day, within or without.
Jesus keeps us in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Him, because we trust in Him. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock. (Isa 26:3-4)
We can never avoid strife in the world around us, but when we fix our thoughts on God, we can know perfect peace even in turmoil. As we focus our mind on God and his Word, we become steady and stable. Supported by God’s unchanging love and mighty power, we are not shaken by the surrounding chaos Do you want peace? Keep your thoughts on God and your trust in him.
God’s peace is different from the world’s peace (see John 14:27). True peace is not found in positive thinking, in absence of conflict, or in good feelings. It comes from knowing that God is in control. Our citizenship in Christ’s Kingdom is sure, our destiny is set, and we can have victory over sin. Let God’s peace guard your heart against anxiety.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Phil 4:4-8)