“And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’ Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’” – Luke 8 v 24 - 25
The excerpt above is from a well-known story. Jesus and his disciples were on their way by boat to the country of the Gadarenes, when the Lord fell asleep. A violent windstorm arose, their lives quickly becoming in jeopardy. Rushing to the Master, the disciples awoke Jesus, pleading with Him to come to their aid. Jesus did just that, reprimanding them shortly thereafter for their lack of faith. This rebuke intrigues me, due to the fact that the disciples did exactly what believers are encouraged to do by pastors and preachers alike when a challenge strikes – run to Jesus. Running to Jesus is attractive, simply because it places responsibility for dealing with the challenge in His hands. We fall into the embrace of our Lord as a hapless man or maiden, pleading that He come to our aid. While it is important we submit our requests to Jesus and recognise Him as always being the ultimate source of our rescue, God requires more active involvement from His sons and daughters when it comes to delivering them from the storm.
You see, in the story above, Jesus expected His disciples to do what He had done! He required them to rebuke the wind and tumultuous waves. They had His name at their disposal, His example to follow. Had they risen up and told the waves “Be still in the name of the Lord!”, do you think the waves would have obeyed? Of course they would have! The power of the command lies in the name of Jesus, not the mouth professing the instruction. Dear friend, when we encounter a challenge, our God expects us to do likewise. Rise up and speak to that storm. Confess the word of God. Profess that no weapon formed against you and your family shall prosper (Is 54 v 17), that when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you (Is 43 v 2). Profess that a thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you, that no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling (Ps 91 v 7, 10). “But can I still run to Jesus?” you may ask. By all means run to Him; run as a fighter, not a victim. While you are running, speak to that storm. When you find yourself in His arms, speak to that storm again and again, until it dissipates. Let Him be your comforter and encourager, but you His mighty warrior, enforcing the victory He died to give you on the cross of Calvary.
Dear friend, stand up today. Let our Lord declare, “How great is your faith!” rather than, “Where is your faith, dear one? Why did you doubt?”
Tamryn Klintworth is the founder of In His Name Ministries – www.inhisname.org.za – an evangelistic organization devoted to winning Africa and the world for Jesus, through the holding of mass crusades. A heavenly avalanche of salvation, healing and deliverance, follows the preaching of the Gospel. Tamryn also regularly ministers in churches and conferences, empowering believers for soul-winning. She resides in Cape Town, South Africa.[photo: d2k6, Creative Commons]
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