Master of the Sea

Matthew 8:27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

Three of the four Gospels (Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, Luke 8:22-25) give us the account of Jesus rebuking the winds and the sea during a storm. If it is in the Bible once, it is important; when God tells us three times, we need to stop and pay attention. What can we learn from reading of this experience? We do not travel by boat very much and most of us are not sailors, so we know there are some applications to made from this story to our lives.

1. We all go through storms in our Christian lives.
2. We all experience fear during those storms.
3. We all question the Lord while experiencing that fear.
4. We all need to learn to trust Him more.
5. We all know that He will deliver us safely through the storm.
6. We all are amazed by His power and glory.

I believe there are three points of focus in this story; the storm, the disciples, and Jesus. The storm is representative of every Christian’s experience. By that I mean we all go through storms. They are not the same for everyone, but they are storms, nonetheless. In the first paragraph, I have listed six things the disciples teach us about ourselves. Be careful not to judge them too harshly because if we will be honest, they are revealing to us our weaknesses.In every situation and circumstance, power and victory comes from focusing on Jesus. For us to come through our storms, Jesus must exercise His power upon the elements that we face. I want to list a few contrasts between Him and us based upon this event.

1. We are powerless, He is all power.
2. We are frightened, He is calm (“but He was asleep”).
3. We question Him, He never changes in His love and care for us.
4. We do not know what to do, He simply speaks and the storm passes.
5. We have little faith, He is worthy of our complete trust.
6. We are filled with wonder and amazement, He is GOD!

I do not know what you are going through, but God does. He is no respecter of persons. What He did for disciples, He can do for you. What He has done for others living around you, He can do for you. He can speak peace to the winds that blow against you and to the waves that overwhelm you. In fact, He wants to. We must focus on Him in the midst of the storm and trust Him. He is worthy. He is the Master of the sea.

photo credit: Laura Clonch