“Then He got into the boat, and His disciples followed Him. Suddenly, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke Him, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!'”
Matthew 8:23-25
What would you do if you were in the middle of the sea on a small boat that was being shaken by strong waves and stricken by resilient winds? Despite struggling with all your strength, every effort proves to be in vain. Jesus’ disciples were in a similar situation. Peter struggled with all his strength to control the small boat in which they were traveling. Andrew and the other Apostles were doing their part, but all their efforts were in vain; the sea unleashed its fury with greater force. Suddenly, one of them asked, “How is the Master?” Another replied, “He has no idea; He is asleep.” The first one shouted, “We have to wake Him up before this boat flips over!” Quickly, one of the disciples tried to wake Him up. “Lord, save us! Otherwise, we will perish!” Have you been in a similar situation? You know that Jesus is by your side, but you have the impression that He is asleep. Meanwhile, you struggle with all your strength and feel that everything you do is in vain, and that you’ve grown weary; thus, you run to Jesus crying out for mercy.
The Lord was on the boat with them, but He was not in anguish or afraid. He was peacefully sleeping, as though He was intentionally allowing this entire situation to unfold so that He could see how His disciples responded to adversity. The experience that the Apostles went through in that moment is a tremendous lesson for each one of us because there are many rough circumstances that we all have to face in order for our character to acquire the necessary strength needed to fulfill the divine purpose for our lives. Those men, desperately relied on their expertise as sailors, but after several hours of fruitless effort, the task proved to be too difficult. Although they were experts in fishing, and supposed masters of managing hardships, everything seemed to be spinning out of control in that moment.
Jesus’ disciples started to began to be filled with anxiety; they felt that there was no hope. But Jesus allowed adversity to work on the faith of His disciples. The great men of God were formed in the midst of the fire that comes with trials and rough moments. When the Lord woke up, He reprimanded them for their lack of faith, for they had reached the point of thinking that Jesus would perish with them in the middle of the sea. Later, Jesus took control of the whole situation, and with authority, He rebuked the winds and the sea “it was completely calm” (Matthew 8:26).
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
I recall the case of John Garcia who was attacked by a severe kidney disease at a young age and underwent dialysis three times a week. Despite the news, it was impressive to see John, for he didn’t grow weak or become depressed. Instead, he was full of spiritual courage, and he was sure that he could live longer. On many occasions he saw his fellow patients pass away, but he remained firm in his faith. The Lord extended His mercy; months went by, and John continued to live. He became one of the disciples of my daughter Johanna; part of her team of twelve. She would tell me, “The life of this young man is remarkable! Although he always has to comply with his medical appointments for his treatment, which make him very weak, as soon as he leaves the hospital, he goes to lead his cell group or to win souls. He lives totally occupied with God’s work; you never see him depressed or sad, he always has a good attitude, and he encourages everyone around him.” John received treatment in different hospitals, but he was never upset about undergoing so much. Instead, he always took advantage of every opportunity to share with other patients, and he was able to win several of them for God.
He lived three more years after all this, and he left a permanent mark on the minds and hearts of many people because he learned the power of faith in God.
TODAY’S DECLARATION
“I live securely and confidently because I know that Jesus has control of my life.”
Today’s post is an excerpt from Pastor Cesar Castellanos’ book, Declarations of Power for 365 Days of the Year: Volume Two.
TODAY’S BIBLE READING
Our Bible Reading Plan gives 25 daily readings per month. There is no scheduled reading for today. You can use this time to catch up on any readings you may have missed, or read through previous passages again.
