Can you sleep through the storm?

Matthew 8:23-27 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.  25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.”  26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

This story is such a powerful illustration of testing and faith that I can’t help but speak about it over and over again. How the Lord could sleep in a boat in a violent storm speaks volumes about His own self-confidence and His natural capacity to disappear from the scene so He can check how well His disciples have apprehended His miraculous power, and really trust Him. He doesn’t spare them one tiny bit from the sense of real and imminent danger. The storm is ferocious, the waves gigantic, the boat really is being overwhelmed with water, nearly swamped, the situation truly is life-threatening, and He’s out, quietly refreshing Himself in dreamland.

Psalm 11 has an interesting related verse:

“The LORD is in His holy temple, The LORD’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold,
His eyelids test the sons of men; The LORD tests the righteous…[Psalm 11:4-5a]

Yeshua’s eyelids sure were testing His apostles…they were closed! “Where are you?! Don’t you SEE what’s happening to us?! All I can see are your eyelids!!!

But maybe the Lord wanted to set us a great example by sleeping in that boat; I actually think so. He wants us to be so completely confident in His love and providential protection that we can sleep through a violent storm —no fear, God is in control.

Reader, it’s been stormy lately. His eyelids are testing us. It’s even true that we could die in one of these storms. But fear of death is a form of slavery [Hebrews 2:14-15]. And God wants us free of it. To live is Christ, to die is gain. Sleep easy. Your times are in His hands!

Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy Devotions. This devotional was originally published on Worthy Devotions and was reproduced with permission.

How to display the above article within the Worthy Suite WordPress Plugin.

[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]

There are many who are not aware of the very deep significance of Bethlehem,Yeshua’s (Jesus’) birthplace. Everyone knows that Bethlehem was a place where shepherds grazed their sheep, and where the Messiah was to be born, but do not realize that it was a town designated as the birthing place for lambs which were used for the Passover sacrifice. The Scriptures give significant details about this little town lying slightly south of Jerusalem.

It was a stormy night in Birmingham, England, and Hudson Taylor was to speak at a meeting at the Severn Street schoolroom. His hostess assured him that nobody would attend on such a stormy night, but Taylor insisted on going. “I must go even if there is no one but the doorkeeper.” Less than a dozen people …

In a documentary mini series called “Against All Odds” a remarkable story is told about an Israeli platoon who found themselves in the midst of a minefield along the Syrian border during the Yom Kippur War. When the platoon realized they were in a minefield they pulled out their bayonets and started to dig out mines and to disarm them…

This past weekend saw an unprecedented assault on Israel by Iran; 185 drones, 36 cruise missiles, and 110 surface-to-surface missiles were launched in successive waves from the eastern enemy nation devoted to the destruction of the Jewish homeland. More than 99% of these objects were intercepted by Israel and her allies. Israel’s military is extraordinarily capable and her allies’ support significant, yet I believe there is a bit more to the story.

As soon as we were translated into the Kingdom of Light, we entered a spiritual war — and we must realize the warfare we face on a day-to-day basis.  Constantly contending in our minds, we battle over thoughts and emotions which flow through them. The enemy often attacks by bringing up issues from our past.

In his book, A Spiritual Clinic, J. Oswald Sanders wrote about the lasting family legacies of two families from New York.

Yesterday marked the 1st day of Nissan, the beginning of the year on the Hebrew calendar. Nissan is known as the “month of miracles”, derived from the Hebrew word, “nissim”, which means “miracles”. Israel finally and miraculously left Egypt in the month of Nissan after hundreds of years of slavery. God orchestrated their escape, “nus” in Hebrew, (which some say is connected to Nissan), displaying His power over the Egyptian gods and His sovereignty over every pantheon. Nissan may also be related to the Hebrew word “nitzan”, which means “to bud” or “to start fresh and anew”, reflecting the seasonal advent of new life and new beginnings…springtime.