Title: On the Lake / Luke 8:22-25
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Luke 8:22-25, 2 Kings 6:14-17
One day, the disciples were rowing a boat across the Sea of Galilee with Jesus. At first, the lake was very calm, so everything was peaceful and easy. However, when the wind suddenly blew, the calm sea turned into a ferocious and gone.
In fact, the Sea of Galilee is so large that it feels like a sea. It is calm in the morning, but in the afternoon, the direction of the wind blowing from the eastern mountains and from the western seas changes, causing a gust of wind.
In this way, while the disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee, a sudden wind swelled the boat, and the boat was in danger. In today's Bible verse, it was said that a 'crazy wind' struck the lake because of how strong the wind was. It means crazy wind. So the disciples were very perplexed. Although they were disciples of the Sea of Galilee as fishermen, the skills, knowledge, and experience they had accumulated throughout their lives in the face of this storm were to no avail. The disciples fell into despair. Humans were too small and incompetent in the face of a raging storm. I had no idea how to get my hands on it. The disciples were perplexed and panicked. Their experience and skills were useless in the face of harsh natural phenomena.
However, when the disciples despaired of their power, it was only then that they saw Jesus. Even in the precarious situation when this storm raged and the boat was full of water, Jesus was sleeping soundly. It shook Jesus to wake him up.
Jesus got up. And he rebuked the wind and the sea.
'Shut up. Be still.'
Surprisingly, the wind that blew like that around the heavens and earth calmed down, and the waves that roared and soared as if they were swallowing up the whole world began to subside. Again the lake returned to its peaceful and tranquil appearance. Jesus rebuked the disciples who wiped away their astonished hearts.
'Where is your faith?'
These miracles allow us to see that Jesus is the creator of heaven and earth, and that all creation obeys the words of Jesus. Jesus is the creator of the world. Therefore, he raises the dead and calms the storm.
But here you can hear the words of the Lord given to people of faith who are going through the rough path of life amid the rebuke of 'Where is your faith?' Directly, it is a message of encouragement for the faith of the disciples who must overcome severe persecution in the future. At that time, the disciples themselves did not know, but they knew Jesus. He knew that the life of the mission they had to go through in the future was like a life that had to go through a strong storm. In fact, after receiving the Holy Spirit, the disciples testified of the resurrection of Jesus amid severe persecution. They testified that Jesus was the Savior. It was like a rough sea road through a storm. That is why Jesus rebuked the disciples who were perplexed in the storm, 'Where is your faith?' It may sound like a rebuke, but it is actually a word of encouragement. In those storms, in the storms of your life, have faith. Don't forget that God is with you. Don't forget that I am with you in your life. It is such a word of encouragement.
On the other hand, we read the words of the Lord encouraging us toward our lives today as we navigate the rough seas of life. People often compare life to the sea. Sometimes our lives go as peaceful as a calm sea, and one day we are suddenly caught up in rough waves and unmanageable storms. The calm sea is peaceful, beautiful, and mysterious, but the turbulent sea is truly an object of fear and fear. When you are at peace, life is beautiful, romantic, and full of love, but when you meet life's problems, pains and difficulties, life itself becomes a pain. In this sense, our lives are like the sea, and sometimes life feels like a ship sailing through the sea.
In reality, our lives are often faced with constant storms. There are times when a business that has been thriving suddenly creaks. Problems suddenly come to the body that you thought you could do anything with because you were healthy. There are times when things don't go as planned and we experience failure. It is truly a blast. This is the time to look to the Lord. Now is the time to shake the sleeping Jesus and wake him up. So that's what Jesus said. 'Where is your faith?' Where is your faith that you worshiped so earnestly now? Where is your prayer that you prayed so earnestly now? Where are the words that have been read so much now? Have you not prayed for this time? Did you not read carefully the words to take it out and write it at this time? 'Where is your faith?'
I hope that your faith will not be powerless in the face of storms, but that you will have the power to overcome the storm.
On the other hand, while seeing the words that the Lord was sleeping, the sound of the wind, the sound of waves crashing on the boat, the seawater rushing up and filling the floor, the shouts of the disciples who were rushing to solve the problem, shouting and moving in a hurry to solve it. The appearance of Jesus is truly amazing. Perhaps even though he was physically exhausted, the amazing peace of Jesus, who did not lose his composure in body and mind under any circumstances, allowed him to sleep in it.
However, from a spiritual point of view, the fact that the Lord is sleeping in the boat that has the Lord is also showing the heart that has lost the existence of the Lord. Perhaps the storm came because Jesus was asleep. From a spiritual point of view, yes. Therefore, we must become a spirit that is always awake so that our faith in the Lord who is present in us does not fall asleep. When our faith is asleep, we cannot see the solution to the problem, even if it is by our side. When prayer sleeps, the word sleeps, and faith sleeps, storms meet. Also, when we encounter a storm, we become embarrassed and forget our prayers, forget the Word, and our faith may fall asleep.
It was when Elisha, a man of God, stayed in the city of Dothan. The Aramaean army, having received this information in the middle of the night, laid a double and triple siege. It was a plan to catch Elisha. In the morning Elisha's servant woke up and found that the Syrians had completely surrounded him. There was a riot. He is terrified and frightened, not knowing what to do. Alas, what can I do, my lord? It was a desperate cry. Then Elisha said to the servant, 'Do not be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.' (2 Kings 6:16) And I prayed to God to open my eyes and see. When the prayer was over, Elisha's servant's eyes were opened, and he saw that the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha, the man of God.
When you encounter a problem in life and in life, the problem seems huge. It seems like it will swallow up my whole life. So they are discouraged, and they sink down with fear and anxiety. If we only look at problems in the midst of problems, we lose the hand of God's help. You will miss the horses and chariots of fire that God sent to His children. We must open our eyes of faith to see God's helping hand. When the Lord is with you, there is the key to solving the problem. If you only look at problems, you become discouraged. We must look to the Lord. We need to shake the Lord and wake him up. please open the way Please calm the storm. Look back on my death! We need to shake the Lord and wake him up.
If any of you lack wisdom,
Ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach
If you do, it will be given to you. James 1:5
don't worry about anything, only
By prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Then the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
Yahweh is all who ask him
He is near to all who make a sincere supplication.
He grants the desires of those who fear him,
He will hear their cry and save them. Psalm 145:18-19
Jesus is the Lord who has the power to calm the storm. Sometimes Jesus clears mountains on our way. But in some cases, he gives us strength to climb the mountain. Jesus calms the storm that is about to devour us. However, in some cases, he pours out strength and power to overcome and overcome any storm or storm. So our job is to pray in any case. It shakes the Lord and wakes him up.
Instead of asking why the mountain is still there, I hope you will have faith that can overcome the mountain with the power you have given. Don't just say why the waves are still strong, but give thanks to the Lord for giving you the strength to overcome the waves.
Jesus is in you. The Holy Spirit dwells in you. Please open your eyes of faith and look. When the disciples saw the Lord in the problem, the problem was already solved. The wind calmed and the sea calmed.
Even if you sometimes encounter storms in your life and life, do not be discouraged or afraid. Let's not forget that the Lord is with us. Let's go boldly in prayer, believing that the God who created the world and controls the world will solve our problems and calm the storms of life. If you win with faith in the midst of trials and pains, you will get mature faith and a more fragrant character. And God's blessings are with you.
In the same way the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.
Do we not know what we ought to pray?
But the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
We know that to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose,
All things work together for good. Romans 8:26,28
.