ESOCS Devotional 16 July 2024 – Worry Less, Trust Jesus the More
MEMORY VERSE: “Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, ‘Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?’” Mark 4:39-40 NKJV
TEXT: MARK 4:21-END
Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? 22 For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. 25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
26 And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28 For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
30 Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? 31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 32 but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”
33 And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. 34 But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.
35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”
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The storm surprised the disciples and the waves were crashing against the boat to a point where it was in danger of sinking. Meanwhile, Jesus was sleeping! The disciples woke Jesus up and in their anxiety, said, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38). In that moment, they were not trusting that Jesus cared about them.
For many people, the storms of life are the times where their faith is most tested. It is hard for people to believe that God cares about them when they can’t see the way out of the squall. But in spite of their lack of faith, Jesus helped them out. This is good news because very often He helps us out when we don’t have faith.
Jesus first rebuked the wind and the sea, then, He rebuked the apostles for giving in to fear and for their lack of faith. Jesus used this situation as a lesson on faith for the apostles and for us. No matter how crazy the storm we are in, we need to trust Christ.
He doesn’t promise to always calm the storm right away; but we can still trust Him in the middle of the storm: “And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mark 4:41). It is comforting to know that He has power over one of the seemingly most uncontrollable things in the world.
The apostles were starting to get a picture of the extent of Jesus’ power. The only One with complete power of the natural world is the Creator. Jesus showed the disciples a glimpse of His divinity in that moment, as they rightly realized that Jesus was not an ordinary man!
No matter how bad the storm, trust that Jesus cares and have faith that He has the power to get you through it.
And for those of you whose storm ends in death, know that there is a place of peace and calm waiting on the other side for those who put their trust in Him!
At this point, the disciples had already seen a number of miracles. They should have had faith and not worried when they saw the storm because Jesus was with them. And yet, they still feared. Why? It is human nature. Fear and worry seem to be in our blood. Yet, that is our old nature. We don’t have to live as slaves of that fear anymore. This worry and fear are the opposite of faith. Do not accept it as a normal part of human nature. Our human natures are fallen and corrupted. There are many things that are natural for us to do that we should not do. 1 Peter 5:7 and Philippians 4:6 command us not to worry, meaning that worrying is sinful. What should you do when you get worried or become afraid of the future?
- Do you ever question God’s love when you are going through a hard time?
- Dear Lord, thank you being there always for me, help me to stop worrying but trust in your power to deliver in all situations, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Further Reading: Deuteronomy 9:1-5; Joel 2:1-14; Acts 3:1-16
ESOCS Devotional 16 July 2024
