Christian Living

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JESUS IS IN YOUR BOAT

By Robert Bray, Sr.

I was born and raised in northern Ohio, near the Ohio/Michigan border at the tip of Lake Erie. The winters
were “bone numbing” cold. It snowed abundantly and
icy cold Canadian winds whipped mercilessly over Lake Erie into the neighboring towns. Our favorite activity as children, in winter time, was snowball fights and flopping
down a hill on small sleds. No matter what kind of gloves and boots we wore, if we stayed outside too long (and we
usually did) our fingers and toes would become numb. The
pipes in the houses often froze up, stopping the flow of water. I can still see through my mind’s eye rows of
odd-shaped icicles outside the windows of our house.

There were times when it snowed so much that almost everything came to a standstill. Whole towns became paralyzed until the snow plows were able to clear the
streets. Of course we children loved it because we didn’t
have to go to school.

The summers were hot and humid. After the sun went down in the evening the heat remained in the air, wrapped
around us like an electric blanket. Summer was also when the “mosquito wars” began. Without air conditioning we
were forced outside where we were “sitting ducks” for these aggressive pests. We fought them as best we could
but in the end it was questionable as to who the winner was.

Autumn was my favorite time of the year. The maple and oak trees began shedding their leaves and the new leaves turned yellow, red and green creating a beautiful tapestry of color. The old leaves blanketed the lawns, sidewalks and
parks, making a crunchy sound under our feet. The cicadas; large tree insects, used their transparent wings in unison to create a shrill, siren-like sound about the start of the fall season, beginning their strange serenade in the early evening just before sunset.

It rained frequently during the spring and summer. There were often torrential rain storms, accompanied by fierce lightening and thunder. Sometimes there were flash storms that came without warning. These storms would rage for an hour or so often during mid day. The sky would
become dark like night. Then, almost suddenly, it would clear up and the sun would shine again.

As believers in Jesus Christ we are faced with different kinds of storms; storms of adversity that can also come without warning. Are you in the midst of this kind of storm? Does it seem dark all around you? Of course pain is pain, however, sometimes as believers we can become consumed with the circumstances. This is a trick of the devil to draw us away from the only true source
of deliverance, strength and comfort that comes from God,
who transcends the natural world and therefore is not
limited by the circumstances. This is particularly true for those who don’t have a regular support group. If that’s you, the truth is that during these crucial times you might have to force yourselves to reach out to those whom God uses as channels of His supernatural strength and power as well as meditating and feasting on His Word. Be encouraged, the sun will shine again and your veil of darkness will be lifted.

Jesus said to His disciples in Luke 8:12, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Most likely this crossing took place in winter, the time of year when sailing was most dangerous.
When the disciples attempted to cross over to the other side
of the lake a fierce wind arose. Jesus, however, knew the
storm would take place before they got into the boat. He
also knew that it couldn’t destroy them. So, what did He do?
He went to sleep. When the disciples realized they were in
trouble they began yelling, screaming and cursing. They
were at the point of hysteria. That’s when they came to Jesus and awakened Him, yelling, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”

We may not admit it but sometimes we feel like Jesus has
gone to sleep in our circumstances. In fact it often seems that He’s oblivious to our trials and tribulations.

Perhaps Jesus wanted to show the disciples what it was like
to face a life threatening situation and not be able control
the circumstances by their own power, so they could come to know that He was their only hope; that they had no other alternative. Could that be what He‘s trying to show us in our struggles with daunting challenges? We often experience the feeling of powerlessness to resolve our difficulties because our natural man is seeking answers within ourselves instead of focusing on God. Have you ever been in
a storm and felt helpless to the fix the problem? That’s often where God wants us because then we’re more likely to
trust Him.

Yes, the disciples were helpless to do anything about their
situation but they knew the Master was in the boat. So they
awakened Him. You may not sense His presence but Jesus
is in your “boat” of depression, addiction, sickness, martial and financial chaos, loneliness….whatever kind of
distress you face. He’s there!

You might be saying, “But I can’t see Him, I can’t hear Him, I can’t touch Him. How do I know He’s there?” By faith!
Ephesians 3:17 says, “That Christ may dwell in your hearts
through faith.” We must acknowledge His presence. God
spoke through Jeremiah, the prophet, and said, “Call to
me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty
things, which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3)

Our faith must be tested to be strengthened. Although
Jesus was asleep in the boat, His supernatural presence
was there. Asking His disciples, “Where is your faith?” must have seemed to them an incredulous question.

I imagined the disciples, speaking from their natural minds, saying something like this: “Faith?! Master, you see the water filling the boat. You see the boat about to sink. You see how fierce the wind is blowing and how close we are to perishing and you ask, Where is our faith?!”

Christ is trying our faith and patience during our adversity and He will ultimately silence the storm and bring calm in His perfect timing as we learn to put our trust in Him. The
steel that holds up the enormous weight of high rise buildings must be tempered through a complex process of

heating and cooling. Our faith must be “processed” to prepare us for the present and future “weight” of trials. What keeps you up at night and brings tears to your eyes? Call upon Jesus and He will answer you in His own way and time. Has He not promised to never leave us or forsake us?
(Hebrews 13:5)

When our hearts are open to God and His Word He will often show us adjustments to make in our personal lives to resolve certain issues. The truth is we often create some of
our problems through unwise decisions. For example, if we’re shackled with debt, the Spirit of God within us can point out to us through various means the need to make changes in our spending habits, etc. Many illnesses are due
to poor eating. We cannot break natural laws and expect to
remain healthy. Sometimes the solutions to our difficulties lie in learning to apply wisdom. Although some situations
are more difficult than others, genuine faith will eventually
take us out of our trouble or through it. The hardest part is often in the waiting.

That’s why the Apostle James wrote in James 1:4: “But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and
complete, lacking nothing.”

Those summer storms in Ohio, no matter how fierce they were didn’t last forever; in fact some of them were very brief. Our storms will not last indefinitely. God, however, has a way of using them to bring us to a place of maturity and wholeness.

I like the old saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” How do we, as believers in Jesus Christ, get going? By not responding to our storms in a negative way and learning to tap into the power of faith.

Though the winds may be howling and the waves roaring, close your eyes and picture Jesus standing at the bow of your
“boat” of trouble saying, “Peace be still!”

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