Matthew 8:26-27 And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, "Save us, Lord' we are perishing! He said to them, Why are you afraid, you men of little faith? Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. The men were amazed, and said, "What kind of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?
The disciples turn to Christ here in desperate need...Save us, Lord, we are perishing! There was nothing else to do and nothing else to try...they were at the end of whatever human means they could employ to save themselves. Jesus was in the boat with them...they could see Him and had already seen so many of the mighty works He had done and yet it still was not enough to calm their fear...God knows our frames...He knows we are weak and frail...and so very fearful in our flesh.
When we are up against that proverbial wall or in the midst of that terrible storm with no where to go and no human means to help even we as believers will cry out...Lord, where are you..wake up...can't you see I need You...can't You see I am perishing??? Why are you asleep...I am perishing!! Don't You care? Fear always springs from a lack of faith. Our trust in His perfect love is what is needed to quell those fears.
O Lord God of hosts,
Who is mighty like You, O Lord?
Your faithfulness also surrounds You. You rule the raging of the sea;
When its waves rise, You still them--Psalm 89:8-9
God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling.--Psalm 46:1-3
Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters, They see the works of the Lord,
And His wonders in the deep. For He commands and raises the stormy wind,
Which lifts up the waves of the sea. They mount up to the heavens,
They go down again to the depths;
Their soul melts because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
And are at their wits’ end. Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He brings them out of their distresses. He calms the storm,
So that its waves are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet;
So He guides them to their desired haven.--Psalm 107:27-30
Our God will see us through each and every storm we will face in this life by His great power and wonderful love. Trusting in that reality, however, in our humanness is so hard! Even when we see His unmistakable hand in our lives...even when He has done amazing things on our behalf we still struggle...we still doubt...we still fear. His love and compassion may be encompassing us and yet we still are fearing. 1 John 4:18 says this:
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
Fear involves torment...in Christ's love there is no torment. Romans 8:1 tells us that "there is. therefore, now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." Beloved, there is no reason to fear...even if we perish. He is our guide even unto death and to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord forever. He can take care and will take care of His children...He will see them through.
