Are You In the Boat?

Have you ever wondered if the storms of life equal you not being in the center of Gods will? I mean, it is easy to believe that if God is there then the storms certainly must not be.

Right?


Not necessarily.

If you have your Bible turn to Matthew 8:23-27 or click here to read the scripture.

Our family has been going through a rough time, financially. When things start to look good, something happens and there goes any 'extra' money we may of had. It has been a frustrating, scary, and at times lonely 3 months. However, in the midst of it all God was there.

Matthew 8: 23

" Jesus got into a boat and his disciples followed him."

These men were with Jesus, God in flesh, and they followed Him into the boat. They did not drag Him behind them or make Him go with them, they followed Him.

Matthew 8: 24

" Without warning, a furious storm came upon the lake."

There was no warning. The storm came out of no where, with apparently no impending signs. Some of the disciples were fishermen and would know how to read the sky for inclement weather, but the Bible says there was "no warning".
How many times do we have, "storms without warning"? It can be a sudden death, a financial crisis, troubles in relationships, and anything that causes our lives sudden shock. I don't know about you, but I like to be in control and when something comes without warning it really throws me off track.

Matthew 8: 24

".... so that the waves swept over the boat...."

Do our sudden storms overwhelm us? Picture being a boat and having the waves sweep over it. That would be a very scary thing!! Talk about not being in control!

Matthew 8:24

"....but Jesus was sleeping."

What was Jesus doing? Sleeping. How could He be sleeping during such a violent storm? Didn't He realize what was going on? Didn't He know how close to death they all were? Why was He not worried? Well, the Bible doesn't specify but I believe that Jesus knew He was in the very center of His Fathers will. He also knew that His disciples were in the very center of His Fathers will. The difference is that He knew it and they did not.

Matthew 8: 25

"The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"

They were freaking out! There they were, with the same man they had seen do miraculous things and yet when danger knocked on their door they panicked. Not a little scared, but truly panicked. It seems that they thought their lives were in imminent danger.

Matthew 8: 26

"He replied, "You of little faith, why are you afraid?"

Wow! He basically rebuked the disciples for for their lack of faith. He knew all that they had witnessed and yet when their time of turmoil came, they had little faith.

Matthew 8:26

" ...."Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and it was completely calm."

Jesus stopped the storm. It did not fade away leaving remnants behind, it stopped. The turmoil was gone and it was calm.

Matthew 8: 27

"The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and waves obey him?"

The disciples, who had already seen some amazing stuff, were once again amazed. This time Jesus met their need. They were worried and fearful, but Jesus took their anxieties away by taking the storm away.

Does God always stop the storms of our life?
No.

Is God always in the boat with us?
As long as we are doing the will of God, then yes.