Jesus Stills the Sea

Dear Jesus - Thank You so much for my friend Don Herd who takes so many great pictures.  Please bless his talent richly.  Today, oh please please open our eyes to see the personal applications You have for each of us in this amazing story...

This is a familiar story so let's get right to it.  Below is the story Luke recounts (NASB). 

Luke 8 - Jesus Stills the Sea

²² Now on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they launched out. ²³ But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger. ²⁴ They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. ²⁵ And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?” 
Here are the points that grabbed me:

• The disciples knew the revealed will of God 'Let us go over to the other side of the lake.'
• The disciples knew Jesus was with them physically during the trip
• The disciples knew how to handle a boat as well as a storm

Why did Jesus say they had no faith? Weren't they doing what was natural?

Use your imagination and step through each part of this again. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you imagine you were there. Start back at the beginning.

• Hear Jesus tell you 'Let us go over to the other side of the lake.'
• Find your seat in the boat.
• Watch Jesus find a pillow.
• Settle into your role.
• Beautiful moonlit night on the lake. Stars twinkling. Your heart is full with all that has happened during the day.
• The wind begins to pick up.
• Suddenly things get crazy. Hear the crazy wind, the mayhem in the darkness, Peter probably shouting instructions to everyone. Uh-oh. This is serious. You begin bailing. The waves get nuts. You realize you may well die.
• Where is your faith?
• Do you remember the will of God? Do you remember you are doing the will of God?

So the question is this:  what in the world happened to them?  At what point doing doing what comes naturally transition into a complete loss of faith?  More specifically - when does that happen for me?  Remember the following points:

• Natural to utilize their personal skill in navigating the boat from Point A to B
• Natural to utilize their personal skill in 'storm navigation'
• Remember it was dark - 3 to 6am - no Duracell for them
• Likely a demonic force wind

Lightening just hit my brain. THAT'S my PROBLEM!  I FORGET! I get distracted from the knowledge I have regarding the will of God.  Jesus was there sleeping like a baby.  Not me - I'm bailing like a madman. 

There is something on my personal prayer list - been there for a loooong time.  Asking God - what should I do - what should I do?  Why doesn't God strike me with lightening on this?  Am I just so dense I don't hear Him?  Lots of chatter in my head...

Turns out - thinking of it in lights of this story - I know His revealed will on this subject.  God doesn't stutter - sometimes the silence is my own noise.  Seems to me from the study above - if I know God's revealed will - I can have faith He will be with me while He carries out His will within me, right?  My job will be not to get distracted.  By temptation, by the remembrance of my addiction to sin or my past failures, in essence - by the demonic forces of nature (mine or created).

I can not tell you how nuts I went after this study.  I'm saving you - believe me.  As I completed it - into my inbox came BLAM - the very action plan I had been needing.  And all from the Bible!  I've now completed 2 days of victory in that area and I give Jesus all the praise for that. 

Thank You Jesus that You are incarnate in Your WORD.  I have to give You praise - for You were indeed the Victor - not I!  Hallelujah!  I praise You that victory is not only for alcoholics, drug addicts and smokers - but for everyone, including me.  And I praise You especially for the sweetness that You seek me and find me where I am but You don't leave me there...