Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Safe Passage

On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side." 
—Mark 4:35

Jesus once said to His disciples, "Let us cross over to the other side." So they boarded their boat and began cruising across the Sea of Galilee, a very large, freshwater lake known for storms that arrive quickly and without warning. And sure enough, a storm came. This one was a doozy, because even the seasoned sailors were despairing of their lives. 

Meanwhile, Jesus was asleep in the boat. So the disciples woke Him and said, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" (Mark 4:38). In other words, "Hey, Lord? Are You paying attention? Don't you care that we are going through this? Wake up and do something!" So Jesus rebuked both the storm and His boys. He turned to the storm and said, "Peace, be still!" and it stopped. But then He turned to His own disciples and said, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" Or literally, "Why are you so timid and fearful?" 

Jesus was essentially saying, "Haven't you learned anything? I said, ‘Let's cross over to the other side.' I didn't say, ‘Let's go to the middle of the Sea of Galilee and drown.' " Jesus didn't promise smooth sailing, but He did promise a safe passage. 

It is better to be in a storm with Jesus than to be anywhere else without Him. I would rather be in a fiery furnace with Jesus than in a palace without Him. I would rather be in a lion's den with Jesus, or in a prison, or even shipwrecked, than to be elsewhere without Him. As long as I know Jesus is there, then I can get through it. 

God is with you regardless of what storm, or even shipwreck, you are going through right now. You are not alone. 

Copyright © 2009 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved. 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
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