Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
September 19, 2024
Mark 4:35-40
35 Later that day, when evening came, Jesus said to them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” 36 They left the crowd and took him in the boat just as he was. Other boats followed along. 37 Gale-force winds arose, and waves crashed against the boat so that the boat was swamped. 38 But Jesus was in the rear of the boat, sleeping on a pillow. They woke him up and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re drowning?” 39 He got up and gave orders to the wind, and he said to the lake, “Silence! Be still!” The wind settled down and there was a great calm. 40 Jesus asked them, “Why are you frightened? Don’t you have faith yet?”
Good Morning! Spend time with God today!
I’m amazed at how God opens our minds to the messages in Scripture. I have read this passage many times and focused on the disciples' mindset. For Jesus, it must have hurt him to the core when they accused him of not caring. He could have lashed out at them in anger for their lack of understanding of what he had been teaching, but instead, he calms the wind and addresses his disciples in the same calmness.
This morning, I saw these questions directed at us today. “Why are you frightened? Don’t you have faith yet?” These questions are not to condemn us but to empower us to revisit our worry and anxiety issues in the light of our faith. If we have faith, why are we worried and anxious? If we have faith, why are we frightened?
The Bible defines faith as "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Our faith ebbs and flows like a river throughout our lives. For years, we may follow the straight path and never venture from the banks encasing us, but an obstacle (health issues, loss of job, failed relationship) causes a diversion in our path. Our hope wavers, and fear seeps into our thoughts.
Sometimes, we become complacent, and our stream begins to meander outside the banks or sit and churn without moving forward. Either way, we allow our worries and anxieties to take root and disrupt our lives. Our faith and hope become tangled in a holding pattern, and we lose sight of the light as we stumble into the darkness.
Just as the disciples awakened Jesus, Jesus awaits our call to call out and ask for assurance when we need him. For those who are lost and weary, Jesus says, “Come unto me, and I will give you rest.”
Faithful God, Thank you for creating us. We are your children. We are weak and weary. We forget to call out for help. Thank you for reaching out when we are in need. Thank you! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: Jesus is always in the boat with us.
Jesus cares! Pastor Liz
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