I spent some time with the Lord in the park one afternoon. We were expecting strong storms that evening, so the wind was gusty and the skies cloudy. I was watching a pair of birds effortlessly glide high across the sky. They were so peaceful and barely moving that it seemed as though they were "resting" on the wind. It was delightful to watch God's creatures trust that their Father in heaven would keep them safe on the gusty winds.
As I was watching the birds, the Lord reminded me of when He was in the bottom of a boat peacefully sleeping through a terrible storm (see Mark 4:35-41). The storm was so bad, in fact, the disciples thought they were actually going to die. They woke up Jesus begging Him to save them. The first thing He did was to command the to storm to be still and a calm immediately came over the sea. Then the Lord rebuked the disciples for their lack of faith. saying, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
Why do you think the Lord rebuked them? It was because Jesus knew that the disciples had not fully recognized and understood the authority and power He had given them - even after witnessing first-hand many miracles. He expected more from His close group of followers. I believe He feels the same way about His church today. He wants us to remember we are not orphans, but sons and daughters (see 2 Cor 6:18). Not beggars, but joint heirs with Christ (see Rom. 8:17) - the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
It is time we take our place in the heavenly kingdom instead of letting the carnal, fleshy "old man" we buried with Christ run our lives (Bob Jones once said you have to knock that old man back into the grave everyday)! It is time to rule and reign with a heavenly perspective, rather than an earthly one. Remember, we are seated with Him in heavenly places (Eph. 2:4-10) and we are to keep our minds on things above, not on the cares of this world (see Col. 3:2). As we do this we will not be frightened or hopeless when the storms of this life arise. We will be confident that Jesus is asleep in our boat and He will bring peace to our storms of life.
