APRIL 28, 2015
In The Same
Boat
Read:
Matthew
8:23-27
When
He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. —Matthew 8:23
When the cruise ship
pulled into port, the passengers got off as quickly as possible. They had spent
the last few days enduring an outbreak of a virus, and hundreds of people had
been sickened. One passenger, interviewed as he disembarked, said: “Well, I
don’t mean to complain so much. I mean I know everybody was in the same boat.”
His seemingly unintentional pun made the reporter smile.
In Matthew 8, we read about another trip on the water
(vv.23-27). Jesus got into the boat and the disciples followed Him (v.23). Then
a terrible storm arose, and Jesus’ disciples feared for their lives. They
awakened a sleeping Jesus, who they assumed was unaware of the crisis.
While Jesus was literally in the same boat as His followers, He
was unconcerned about the weather. As the all-powerful Creator, He had no fear
of a storm. “He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great
calm” (v.26).
But we are not all-powerful, and we are oh-so-prone to fear. So
what are we to do when the storms of life rage around us? Whether they quickly
blow over or last for a long time, we can be confident in this: We are in the
same boat with the One whom even the winds and the sea obey.
Heavenly Father, this life is full of uncertainty. But You have
promised us Your unfailing presence. May we see You today—especially when we
are tempted to panic or to do things in our own strength.
No danger can come so near the Christian that
God is not nearer.
INSIGHT: Today’s passage contains a beautiful story
of Jesus’ power when He commands the winds and the waves to obey Him, giving
further evidence that He is the Creator (see Col 1:16). Jesus’ question in
Matthew 8:26 may seem harsh, but the disciples had been with Jesus long enough
now that they should have had a better understanding of who He was. Immediately
following the account of the calming of the wind and waves is the account of
Jesus’ power over demons (vv. 28-34). This would have been another reminder
that the disciples should have faith in Him.
Source: Our Daily Bread 2012
