This Boat Won’t Sink

- Pastor Marcus Marshall

“Jesus was in the back of the boat with His head on a pillow, and He was asleep. His disciples woke Him and said, “Teacher, don't you care that we're about to drown?” Jesus got up and ordered the wind and the waves to be quiet. The wind stopped, and everything was calm.” Mark 4:38-39 (CEV)

I remember when I lived in Florida, the thing to do on weekends was hang out on a boat. On this particular day, I was on a ship when a storm started. The waves had the boat rocking back and forth, and I was a little scared, but I would not be the first to admit fear.

But my face couldn’t hide that I was terrified. My friends tried to comfort me by saying, “This happens often, and we’ll just have to get through it.” In Florida, it is not uncommon for rain in one place and sunshine in another. My friend tried reassuring me by telling me the whole trip wouldn’t be like this because he knew the sun would come once we went through the storm.

In this passage, the disciples were scared, but Jesus was at peace. Jesus knew that just because there is a storm outside of me doesn’t mean there needs to be a storm within me. How often do we allow the battery to distract us?

When you hear gossip, when the family isn’t agreeing, or when finances seem tighter than they have been, does it take your attention off the purpose God has given you?

Jesus spoke to the storm because the power was within Him, not the storm. Jesus didn’t yield to the storm; the storm yielded to Him. You are powerful because Christ has made His home in you; therefore, you shouldn’t submit to storms.

As you pray, allow your prayer to come from a place of boldness because you know Christ's name is above all other names. Jesus is in your boat, so your boat is safe. You have the X factor on your team. He is the playmaker! Take joy that you are on the right team, and He has never lost. Keep Christ in your boat, and you will see that making a difference truly is about who you have in your boat.

Make a Difference:

Today, do you have Christ in your boat? Is He in the middle of your family, workplace, and friendships? Trials come to difference makers, but these storms don’t last forever. Ask God to make His presence known in your storm, on your boat.

As You Read:

This week, we close out Joshua and move into Judges. We will see that the nation of Israel is distracted by false gods and enters different seasons of punishment from God. Sometimes, the distractions in our path are caused by our actions and are allowed by God. Regardless of the reason for the storm, Christ is in the boat with us.