Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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God’s Unfailing Presence in Crisis

Bible Reading: St. Mark 4: 35-41

Key verse 40

Key verse-4:40 “He said to His disciples, why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith”

DEVOTION

The Sea of Galilee is a beautiful body of water, surrounded by hills and is 700 feet below sea level. It is prone to sudden violent storms like one in St. Mark 4:35-41.
Mark tells the story of Jesus and His disciples crossing the Sea of Galilee. Suddenly a fierce storm arises and fills the boat with waves and threatens to sink it, while Jesus is sleeping peacefully in the boat. Panicked disciples wake Him up. Jesus woke up and rebuked the wind and the storm settled down. Jesus questions their fear and lack of faith.
                                         One-minute things are calm and quiet; the next minute a raging storm threatens to sink your boat. I think many things that we face in our life- the physical, emotional and spiritual storms are like that. One minute the life is going very smoothly and the next minute, suddenly something happens and throws our life into total chaos. We may face financial pressure, family struggles, uncertainty, disappointment or situations we cannot control. The storm may be real, but Jesus is also real- and His presence doesn’t disappear simply because life becomes difficult. Jesus is present with you in your boat, even when it feels like he is silent or sleeping. Life’s sudden storms test your trust. Jesus calls you to replace panic with confidence in His power and His unfailing presence.
Jesus calms the violent storm showing His absolute authority over nature and calling His disciples to trust Him. Witnessing how Jesus masters the chaos reminds that no trouble in your life is beyond His control. We can bring our fear to Him and trust His authority even when we cannot see how the situation will end. The question you should ask yourself is “How big is my storm? How big is my faith in Jesus who is with me in the boat?
The story of Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee taught us a powerful lesson about faith, trust and the Divine identity of Jesus.

PRAYER

 Father God help me not to rely on my own understanding, but to depend on you fully and trust you. Remove my fear of the unknown and fill my heart with peace Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

There are two ways to be. One is at war with reality and the other is at peace. Byron Katie

 

Mr. John K Samuel- Epiphany MTC, NY

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