Swamped by Waves
“And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.” (Matt. 8:24) One of the beautiful things about the Bible is that it speaks to us regardless of the situations of life we find ourselves in. It is not a religious book that fails to touch upon the tough experiences of every day life—even those experiences that are hard to explain.
In this passage in Matthew, we learn that Jesus sent his disciples into a boat in order to cross to the other side of the sea of Galilee. What this means is that, ultimately, Jesus sent them into the storm. Much of the modern theology we hear about Jesus is that all he desires is our comfort and ease. However, nothing could be farther from the truth. If we read and take an honest look throughout the Scriptures we will find the Lord allowing his children to endure various trials of faith. The Lord is more interested in our character than our comfort, and we will only grow up spiritually when we face affliction through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit.
King David said, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.” (Psalm 119:67) There is a corrective and maturing element to affliction ‘if’ we look to the Lord as the strength of our heart and the supplier of our needs. Jesus knew the disciples he chose would be the founding voices of the Christian church, and that much would be resting upon their experience and understanding. He sent them into the storm in order to prepare them for the storms and trials that would come against them for proclaiming the gospel. Death through persecution would meet all of the disciples except the apostle John. Jesus knew that weak and unproven leaders would not be able to stand against the sudden storms coming their way.
Do you feel like the Lord has sent you out into the sea and now your boat is in the midst of a storm? Do you feel your life is getting swamped with the rough seas of life? He has not abandoned or forgotten you. He is preparing you for the special task of encouraging others and demonstrating that while life has storms, he still walks on water! Many times, our response in the midst of storms will determine how long we stay in it. When we are young in the Lord, it is easy to think that a storm is punishment from the Lord, and then we falsely accuse God of not caring. As we get older, time and Scriptures teach us that before the Lord uses people to their full potential in faith, he refines them through trials.
God is a ‘nearby’ God. He is not detached from our trials. He is praying for us and watching over us, even when we are….Swamped by Waves!
