The wind howls as waves crash in every direction. The crew shivers, not from the freezing waters that surge over them but from the fear that holds it’s tight grip and refuses to let go. The boat sways and it’s only a matter of time before the ocean swallows up what was once thought to be a durable and resilient vessel. Their attempts to man the boat are in vain as they struggle to find their footing only to be knocked down by the next giant. A man yells out to the others but his cries are drowned out by the heavens rumbles. In all the chaos it’s hard to focus on the task at hand. What could one crew do against the massive ocean surrounding them? They fight with everything they have in them, but their strength is failing. Doubt enters their thoughts and the idea of giving up that was just a moment ago at the back of their minds is now front and center demanding their attention. They think back to the beginning of their journey, the thought that this could be their last had never entered their minds. The waters had been so calm and inviting, but now there was no hope… then they heard it, one word from the cries of the last man standing, “JESUS!”

Emotions are scattered, some are angry, some feel betrayed, all are fearful. A man stumbles to the one crying out and screams, “Where is He? Where is Jesus? Does he not care?” to which the man replies, “sleeping. We must get to Jesus.”

So I’m guessing by this point many of you know what part of scripture I was thinking of when I wrote this. I don’t believe in adding too or changing scripture and that’s not what I’m trying to do here, these were just some of my thoughts when reading through my Bible and it helped me personally relate. I emphasize, the above are my thoughts, not scripture.

Matthew 8:23-27 (KJV)

23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. 24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. 25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. 26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

Faith.

Such a small word with such huge meaning.

It’s necessary to know God, it gives peace during the storm, it can move mountains. It’s something we all struggle with, if we are being totally honest.

Matthew 17:20 (KJV)

20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Much like the story above, I have tried to control things that were completely out of my control. I screamed at the world that didn’t hear me and didn’t care. I fought until my strength was all but gone and realized that I couldn’t do it. I didn’t have the power to fight off the world on my own. And while the waters had been calm and inviting before, I hadn’t anticipated the raw power they had hidden away. My efforts didn’t have an impact and I had forgotten about what I did have, the most important thing… I had forgotten that Jesus was on my boat. Let that sink in, how amazing it is to know that Jesus is on my boat! All we have to do is go to Him and trust Him and marvel in His goodness. We have to stop fighting our battles on our own because without Jesus we will lose our battles against the world every time.

With Jesus all things are possible. Paul walked on water while his eyes were fixed on the Savior, but when he got distracted by the waves surrounding Him he started to sink. We have to keep our eyes on Jesus because he is our hope. Our Peace. Our fortress.

As a young christian I have faced so many battles that I was so unprepared for. I thought I was strong and I could fight my battles and if it got really hard then God would have my back, you know, if I needed Him. That is just not the way it works. I heard scripture after scripture about preparing for rough seas but the water was so calm and I took it very lightly. From experience, I can now tell you once those waves sneak up and start pounding down on you, it can be almost impossible to even catch your breath between hits. Jesus is on our boats and we do need to go to Him, and we do need to have faith, but why would we wait until we are in the storm?

I remember when I was a child I was terrified of the ocean and my sister talked me into walking out with her because she promised never to let go of my hand. Then it happened, a wave like a skyscraper towered over us and there was nowhere to run. It swallowed us up and tore us apart. Every time I thought it was letting up and I could stand, another wave was there to knock me right back down again. My sister loves me very much. She had no intention of letting go of my hand, and I really believe she would have done everything in her power to protect me. I say that to say this, we cannot rely on our own strength or the strength of loved ones to get us through the storm. Yes, the answer is Jesus, but how can we call on Him in our time of need if we don’t even know what His promises are? If we don’t know the word it’s like going into battle naked. This is war. Amazingly enough, we have a loving father, so He has left us instructions so we can prepare for battle.

Ephesians 6:10-18 (KJV)

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

So what I’ve been describing is when we just so happen to get caught in storms. When the world seems to come at us from out of nowhere, and how we need to be prepared and know Who is on our boat. But what about when we chase waves?

 

When I was younger, me and my friends would play this game where we would watch the waves crash and then chase the water as it was pulled back into the ocean. We would stand at the edge and wait for the next wave and run as fast as we could to get away before it caught up with us. We laughed and pushed each other and a lot of times we got away. If we played long enough sometimes the water would come up and around our feet and we would laugh because what was the big deal? it was just a little water. We grew more confident in our abilities and got braver and would go further and further out until WAM! A big wave would come out of nowhere and have us rolling and coughing up sand.

We were playing on the edge, we weren’t actually in the water… We were just having a little fun but we were in control… Does that sound a little familiar? Running from the waves was our goal but let’s get real, we were chasing waves without even realizing it. We would get so distracted by chasing the water as it pulled back we didn’t see the next big wave coming.

I wish I could say all of my wave chasing days were before I got saved but being totally honest, I chased a few even after.

1 Peter 5:8 (KJV)

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

The devil is clever and knows what he is doing and we have a sin nature. Many times things we convince ourselves are completely harmless are what could be our downfall. God doesn’t want us straddling the fence, playing church on sundays and playing in the world the rest of the week. He even goes as far as to say he would rather us be cold all together than to be lukewarm.  Revelation 3:16

Being lukewarm is such an easy place to be. It’s so easy to let the world put out our fire. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of being lukewarm. I want to be on fire for Jesus and I cannot do that without being in the word.

Sometimes we chase the waves, sometimes we just happen to get caught in the storm. The devil and the world are powerful and cruel but you have to remember that if you’re saved, Jesus is in your boat! I find so much comfort and peace in knowing this.

I know this is a little all over the place but this is something that is very real in my life right now.

If you’ve never accepted Jesus into your life and He’s calling on you all you have to do is accept His free gift. Call on His name. Believe In Him, that He died on the cross for your sins and that He rose from the grave and ask Him to forgive you and He can make you new!

John 3:16-17 (KJV)

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

 

Key points:

• Jesus is on our boat

• Have Faith

• Keep your eyes on Him

• Be prepared

• Be on fire

• Don’t chase waves