Matthew 8:24
“And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep.”
Mark the spiritual man and the end of that man is always peace. One of the greatest needs of man is peace amidst the storms of life. The storms of life cannot be stopped. If anyone ever promises you that following Jesus means escaping the storms of life, such a one is a stark and blatant liar. Following Jesus does not stop the storms. And even when Jesus Himself points you in a particular direction and is with you on the project He Himself initiated, this does not safeguard you from the storms. Waves and tempests will beat on our boats and threaten to sink us. Yet, mark the spiritual man, for the end of that man is peace, even in the midst of the storm.
Jesus is my perfect example. He refused to be moved by the threatening storms and tempests around Him. He knew where His safety lay and for that reason, He gave no respect to the winds and waves. Jesus could sleep in the midst of the chaos happening all around Him. On the high seas of violent tempests, Jesus remained unmoved. And this is the life He calls us to model. We are called to be like Him and to live like Him. When we fret, fear and fuss over the storms, we are not like Jesus. He calls us into the deep rest of the faithful. He calls us to the life of perpetual inner peace. He calls us away from analyzing, describing and fleeing the storms. He calls us to rest amidst the restlessness of life. “Oh! That we may sleep the sleep of the faithful, because of our hope in His faithfulness and rest in His faultlessness.”
“Jesus, my ambition has always been to be like You. Grant me the grace to have Your kind of faith, so that I may always abide in the deep rest of the spiritual. Take me across the Jordan Lord. Take me beyond this place of instability. Take me into the promised land of spiritual rest, where I find my solace, not in the events around me but in You- the constant and reliable One. Amen.”
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