“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. 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. 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. And He said unto them, Where is your faith? And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!” (v.22-25)
With these words, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake," Jesus made a promise to His disciples. He didn’t say, “Let us perish in the middle of the Sea of Galilee.” He promised His disciples that they would cross over to the other side of the lake.
One of the reoccurring themes of Pastor Chuck Smiths’ ministry was, “Where God guides, God will provide.” Meaning, if God is truly calling you to do something He will provide the means to get it done. No worries, even when things are not going perfect, just step out in faith and watch God work.
This story however shows that His disciples were much like us when it came to the testing of their faith. For even though; 1) Christ ordered His disciples to put to sea, 2) He entered the ship with them, 3) He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side”, and 4) He fell asleep during the storm - His disciples lost faith, even feared for their lives with Christ right beside them during their trial. The total calm of the sea should have filled them with peace, but instead, they were just as afraid when He calmed the storm as when they were in the midst of the storm.
We are not promised an easy life as a Christian, in fact just the opposite. But during the trials, the testing of our souls, our true faith is revealed. And when the storm has passed and we are safely on the other side, we are to give Christ the glory due to His power and provision in our lives. For there is none like HIM.
The Truth: "O LORD God of hosts, who is mighty like You, O LORD? Your faithfulness surrounds You. You rule the raging of the sea; when waves rise, You still them." (Psalm 89:8-9)
