Fear Not I am With You

                          

The story is told of a man in a fancy restaurant who started to choke on a bone.  A doctor rushed over, identified himself as a doctor, and reassured the man that he was going to be all right.  He performed the Heimlich Maneuver and the bone popped out. As the man's breath and voice returned he said, "I'm ever so grateful, doctor, how can I ever repay you?" The doctor smiled and said, "I'll settle for one tenth of what you were willing to pay while you were choking."

Matthew 8:22-27 is a remarkable moment in the life of Jesus when his authority over the elements is seen. This incident is also recorded in Mark 4:35-41 and Luke 8:22-25. After a busy day Jesus told his disciples to get into the boat they cross to the other side. Jesus was exhausted and he fell asleep. The evening was calm and pleasant and quiet rested upon the lake. Suddenly a severe storm came upon them.

The disciples were born and brought up near this lake. Those hardy fishermen had guided their craft safely through many storms, but this was not an ordinary storm. Their strength and skills availed nothing; the boat was filling with water and death seemed imminent. In their helplessness and despair they cried out to Jesus, “master, master we are perishing!”

Jesus was sound asleep, how could he sleep peacefully in such a storm?  When he woke up to meet the storm he was in perfect peace. There was no trace of fear in word or look. At this terrifying moment he had perfect trust and confidence in the care of his heavenly father. A righteous life is a peaceful life. The fruit of “righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever” (Isa. 32:17).

When Paul was in Prison with a possibility of execution, he wrote to the Philippians  “I ...will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain...Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body (Phil. 1:20-24).

The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation... present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus... whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely...think about such things. Whatever you have learnt or received or heard from me, or seen in me, put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you (Phil.4:5-9).

The disciples woke Jesus and said to him, “teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” (Mark 4:38). He replied, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith (Mark 4:38,40)? They thought they all were going to drown. But wait a minute! Who was on board with them? No water can swallow the boat where the master of the ocean and earth and skies lies. In their panic, the disciples had a distorted view of the problem.

In a time of severe trial, it’s easy to doubt the Lord’s loving care for you. The disciples "accused" Jesus of not caring.   Of course Jesus cared; these men were to be the foundation of His Church. Even though Jesus was fast asleep he was still in the boat with them. It might have appeared that he didn’t care, but that was not the case. He was training them to recognize he was with them in every situation that he takes them through in life; And,he is always present even when he does not seem to be.

Jesus did not rebuke them for disturbing Him but for failing to trust Him as they should have. He said they had "no faith". What they needed most in this dire situation was to trust in Jesus. Their main danger was not from the wind or waves, it was their lack of faith. There is always more danger for a Christian in his unbelief that in any adverse circumstances by which he may be surrounded. The most important thing in a storm is not to lose faith.

By faith, you must always affirm two things in your trials: God’s might and his care (1 Pet. 5:6-7). Faith is so crucial to our daily walk with God that without it it’s impossible to please him (Heb 11:6). In Romans 1:17 we are told that “in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith”.

In Matthews 17:20 Jesus reveals the power of faith.  Faith provides a framework for navigating the world and its complexities, offering hope and meaning when facing challenges. In a difficult and often chaotic world a simple faith can change everything; it is only through faith that we can see things as they ought to be. If we keep our eyes on Jesus and make decisions based on faith, we become agents of a God who can move mountains.

Jesus rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. The calm was instantaneous and perfect. At one moment they were extremely terrified, completely hopeless and then in a moment everything was absolutely still and perfectly calm. It was a remarkable incidence. The disciples expected help, but they were unprepared for the kind of deliverance that Jesus provided.

“What kind of a man is this?" they asked. That was their problem; they really did not realize who Jesus was.  If they had known Jesus well, they would not have been so amazed at what happened. They lived with Jesus, but they did not know him well. One day Jesus asked one of his disciples “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

The psalmist attributes the stilling of seas to God (Ps. 65:7; 89:9; 104:7; 107: 24-30). Jesus created the universe. Thus it was no big deal for Him to speak to the wind and waves of His creation and have them obey Him. Yet for the disciples, who were still growing in their awareness of who Jesus was, were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”(Mark 4:39-41). The storm revealed to them his awesome power in a way they had not known.

Psalm 9:10 says “And those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you”. This powerful verse emphasizes the connection between knowing God and trusting in Him. It highlights that true knowledge of God is not just intellectual but experiential. Those who have come to know God through His word and through His actions develop a deep trust in His character and promises.

This storm hit those with Christ in their boat as well as those without Christ in their boats. Mark 4:36 records that other boats were with them. We do not read that when the storm arose, the other boats were swamped, but the boat with Christ in it sailed smoothly. Just because you are in Jesus’ boat does not mean that it’s going to be smooth sailing. The people with Jesus in that boat were not casual followers, but men whose lives were fully devoted to him. Walking with Jesus does not exempt you from storms.

As the all-powerful Creator, Jesus had no fear of a storm. We are not all-powerful and we are so prone to fear. So what are we to do when the storms of life rage around us? We should be confident in this: “when you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze (Isa. 43:2).

The disciples thought that Jesus was oblivious to their dire need. Unknown to them he was fully aware of the storm even before they called on Him. Have you ever felt like that in the midst of a trial? You are about to go under and you wonder, where is the Lord? He’s always with you, fully aware of what is going on in your life. That is why he can promise “before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear”(Isa 65:24).

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego found themselves in a fiery furnace. Nebuchadnezzar saw four men walking about in the midst of the fire and the appearance of the fourth was like a son of the gods (Dan.3:24-25). Was the fourth man the Lord Jesus? We are not told whether those faithful men could see the fourth man who was in their midst or not. But, the fact is, he was right there with them in the flames.  

Storms often show us things that we don’t see in calmer times. This storm revealed the power of Jesus in a way that would have been hidden had it not happened. The disciples got a glimpse of His majestic power over nature. The people in those other boats witnessed what happened. They had an opportunity to realized that Jesus was not an ordinary person. They also benefited from the miracle.

The storm was sudden and unexpected. This life is full of uncertainty; crisis can come in countless of forms. As Christ's follower, be prepared for the storms that will surely come suddenly and unexpectedly. Trusting God in a crisis is what has sustained the saints in many horrible trials down through the centuries. A woman said to D.L. Moody, “I have found a wonderful promise!” and she quoted Psalm 56:3, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” In response Moody quoted Isaiah 12:2, “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.”

God in His perfect providence sent a storm not meant to destroy but teach the disciples an invaluable lesson on faith. Storms are not fun, either at sea or in real life. Yet we learn lessons through storms that we never would learn if life were always calm. The Christian faith is not just to get us to heaven when we die. It teaches us how to live in the here and now, especially when life gets stormy.

Faith in the Lord is not an automatic thing. It is something that we must choose to exercise. Time to develop resources to face the sudden storms is before they hit. If you don’t spend time with the Lord in the calm of life, you won’t know how to trust Him in the storms. God has the power to still the strongest storm to perfect calm. However we must submit to his will. When Jesus was about to face his strongest storm on earth, he prayed “Father, all things are possible for you, take this cup from me, yet not what I will, but what you will” (Mark 14:36).