Matthew 8:23-27 "Now when He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose in the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!" But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" Then he arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"
Lately, I've been worrying a lot. I'm 6 months pregnant and the worry seems to overwhelm me at times. I worry about my boys sharing a room, about our car not being large enough for 3 kids, about our finances and the increase in groceries that we're having as we raise two growing and hungry boys (and adding a third). I'm worried about my kids development, my husbands job, and I worry A LOT about The Mom Squad and if we're meeting the needs of you, our audience.
What I've noticed is that my mind and heart are so filled with worry that I have no room for God. Can we be honest for a minute? If I spent as much time praying and in the Word of God as I do worrying about my circumstances, I would be so much more joyful and so much less anxious about everything.
In this story of the Bible, we notice that "suddenly" a bad storm came and the boat was covered with waves. Isn't that how life works? We never get a warning that a storm is coming into our life. Typically, it comes without warning and in the worst possible times - a lot of times at night, when we're already tired and mentally exhausted and needing peace.
In a panic, the disciples wake Jesus up. Aren't we just like the disciples? Here we have the followers of Jesus - those closest to Him - who have seen many miracles and have heard all of His teachings but yet when the storm in their life arises, they panic. They have Jesus right in their boat!! And yet they panic! Goodness, that is me all day! I have Jesus in my heart, I've seen so many of His miracles in my life and in the lives of the ones whom I love, yet every time - EVERY TIME, sisters - I panic.
And then Jesus says the infamous words that we all have heard "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" Oops. That's right, Jesus. I forgot who You are and what You can do if I only put my trust in You. And in an instance, He calms the winds and the sea.
Friends, when we know who God is in our life, we know that He is able. He is able to calm the winds and storms in our life. The same God that calmed the physical storm that night is the same God who can calm the figurative storms in our life - no matter how bad the situation may look. There's a key component in the story... the disciples asked God for help.
Are you dealing with a storm in your life that you wish would end? Maybe it's time to remind yourself of who God is and can be in your life when you ask. Ladies, I pray that you (and I) would turn our anxiety into prayer. That we turn our worry into working power through Jesus Christ. And that when fear tries to overwhelm us that we would continually remind ourselves of who God is.
Have a blessed day!
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