Luke 8:22 Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.
The Lord is Credible
Throughout the thousands of years that men have told stories, they have generally divided these stories into three parts. There is the introduction, the conflict, and the resolution. I think this is true of the story we read about in Luke 8.
Luke says of Jesus, “Now… he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.” As soon as they set off, Jesus fell asleep. Subsequently, there was a storm of such magnitude that even seasoned fishermen, like some of the disciples, were in fear for their lives. So they woke the Master and said, “We perish!” I think the disciples were surprised that He was sleeping, and He may have been disappointed that they were surprised.
Verse 24 says, “Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.” The calm that was in Jesus as He slept was the calm that now characterized the waters that just prior had been in such turmoil. “And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered… What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.”
This story has three parts: a command, a storm, and Jesus’ power in calming that storm. I don’t know where you are in your story. Maybe you are in the introduction and need to pay attention to what the Lord is telling you. Maybe you are in the middle where the storm is so ferocious that you feel you will not make it. Maybe you are on the other side of the storm looking back, and you had forgotten just how grateful you should be. The key is that the Lord who commands the wind and waves has the credibility to lead you. There is a calm that comes when you follow.