Is Jesus In Your Boat?

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I have much too be thankful for this year to the Lord. His endless love, abundant mercies and amazing grace in my life are just a few of the many things that I am thankful for this year. As I was reading the Word the other day from Matthew 8:23-27 another thought came to my heart to be thankful for and that is God’s peace in the storm.

For many of us 2008 has been a difficult year full of hardships and storms but God is faithful and good. His peace is available for anyone who would want to come and draw near to Him through faith in Jesus Christ. Here is the passage:

Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, 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!"
He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!"

There many important points in this text but I will name a few that the Lord put on my heart:

1. The storms of life can come “without warning” and can be furious when it hits your own life in such a way as to rock you. I believe many of us have faced this in one way or another in our lives and in particular this past year.

2. At times when these storms occur it “seems like” God is asleep on us. We ask Lord where are you? How come you will not save us? Don’t you see the power of the storm it is going to kill us?

3. However, God answers us in His timing and tells us to trust in Him. We must look to Him in the storm and put our full hope and faith upon Him for only He can deliver.

4. We must not be afraid when faced with the storms of life. Jesus reminds us to check ourselves to see where we are putting our faith. Are we putting our faith in the stock market, our jobs, the housing market, our government, our own intellect and abilities or are we putting our full faith in God? I believe if we put our full assurance and faith in God during the storm we will not be afraid but instead we will be overcome by love, power and a sound mind.

However, in order to know the peace of God during the storm one must ask themselves “Is Jesus even in my boat”? The only way to face the storms of life and the coming future storms is to have Jesus Christ in the boat of your life. When He is in your boat you have comfort, hope, salvation and deliverance. If he is not in your boat the furious and powerful storm without warning will surely overtake you and you will be lost in the sea.

In your heart today pray to God and receive the newness of life and the peace that surpasses all understanding through His beloved Son the Prince of Peace - Jesus Christ. Let me end with the actual reliable words of Christ in regards to the storm and the many troubles we may face in this life:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” – John 14:27