“Savior Today Offers Rest Mightily, Saving! (S.T.O.R.M.S)”

By Ramesh C.Reddy
Pittsburgh Standard

April 08, 2008

Editors Note: The devotional has a background song  called 'He Will Carry You' by Scott Wesley Brown which can be heard if you use Internet Explorer.

Observations:
I asked myself what Jesus does after telling the parables?
We are not really told except what happens after evening came:

 I asked myself what the disciples do?
^"Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat." (Mark 4:36, NIV)

Observation/Interpretations:
I asked myself what sticks out to me regarding Jesus and the disciples?

I found it very interesting that the disciples “took him along, just as he was, in the boat.”

 Anything that is mentioned in the Bible has significance and I wondered to myself about, “they took him along, just as he was, in the boat.”

Then it occurred to me that Jesus must have been really, really tired. Teaching can take a lot out of a person. Jesus was teaching the crowds and explaining the parables to His disciples and those around him not to mention all the healing Jesus was involved in. In His humanity, Jesus faced the things we have and yet was without sin. His body needed rest and that is evidenced by the verse, “Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion.” (Mark 4:38, NIV)

I asked myself what was happening as Jesus was asleep on the cushion?While Jesus was asleep on the cushion, three things were happening:

1. A furious squall came up.

2. The waves broke over the boat.

3. The boat was nearly swamped.

Mind you, while all this was happening Jesus was still asleep on the cushion. None of these events woke Jesus up but one event did wake Jesus up. It had nothing to do with nature but with voices. Jesus is in control of nature and He did not allow what was happening to hinder Him from His sleep except the frantic voices He heard.

His disciples were obedient in crossing to the other side as Jesus wanted them to but in their obedience they also faced trials and tribulations that were getting them frightened and down, making them doubt the Lord’s care for them.

I asked myself what the disciples did?
The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" (Mark 4:38, NIV)

I asked myself, why it is significant that the disciples had to wake Jesus up?

Point 1:
It is very significant because not even the storm, winds beating into the boat, nor water filling up the boat could wake Jesus up.  The only thing I can think of is that Jesus was in a deep sleep. I believe Jesus too was very tired after all the work He was doing. We have to realize that when Jesus was here on earth, Jesus experienced the same things we do except He was with no sin.  

Point 2:
It is very significant because we come to learn the faith of the disciples. The disciples had already been with Jesus, they had heard his teachings and seen His miracles. Yet, they were really scared what was going to happen to them because of the circumstances they were faced with. They even questioned Jesus if he cared for them. They still did not have the faith, Jesus wanted them to have.

I asked myself what Jesus did?
Jesus did five things, three of which were done immediately!  I found it interesting how Jesus responds to their frantic voices waking Him up. He addresses their problem and fear first.

The first three things were:

1. Jesus got up.

2. Jesus rebuked the wind.

3. Jesus said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!”

I asked myself what the cause-effect relationship was?
Because Jesus said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’, the wind died down and it was completely calm.

I asked myself what Jesus does now?
Now Jesus addresses the disciples with two questions:

1. Why are you so afraid?

2. Do you still have no faith?

What is significant about the five things Jesus did?
Jesus woke up at the prompting of His disciples. He did not stay in bed, though he may have been tired, when He realized others needed His help. He took authority of nature and there was calmness once again.

What can we learn from Jesus’ actions and the disciples’ actions?

Point 1: Jesus’ actions
We come to realize the humanity of Jesus in this passage including His Divinity. If Jesus needed to sleep after all the work He had been doing, how much more we need to sleep. Rest is a very important component that we all need. If we exhaust ourselves, we may come to the point where we can sleep through exams, work, etc. I know that I need to conform to this principle.

It does not do any good to work, work, work without getting adequate rest. You may think to yourselves that you have so much work to do that you do not have time for rest. But, God wants His children to get adequate rest.

"It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for He gives His beloved sleep." (Psalm 127:2)

Point 2: Disciples actions
We see the disciples doubting Jesus' care for them during the circumstances they were facing. They insinuated that Jesus may not care even if they perished. Jesus did care though and took care of the disciples. In the Psalms we learn, it is better to trust in God than put confidence in men.

"It is better to trust the Lord than to put confidence in men." (Psalm 118:8)

This principle was not adhered to here with the  disciples. They were relying on their own understanding when turmoil broke rather than put their confidence in Jesus. Jesus had every right to ask the question he asked of the disciples concerning  faith.

Point 3: Jesus’ actions  
Jesus very well could have been hurt because of the disciples lack of faith. The question He poses is meant for the disciples to think back to the times of Jesus' miracles. Still, Jesus in His love did not ignore the disciples in their time of need. The two questions posed by Jesus were done after alleviating the disciples’ fears. While they were fearful Jesus wanted to handle the fear first. That is so cool and awesome of Jesus to meet them where they were and then to address their weaknesses. Jesus was with them through the storm even though they felt that Jesus did not care for them.

Amazing even after this the disciples response is:
"They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" (Mark 4:41, NIV)

Implications:
I saw important implications for my own life I want to share with you. When Jesus wanted them to go to the other side, the disciples obeyed Jesus and took Jesus along with them, just as He was, in the boat. During their obedience, they also faced trials and tribulations that were getting them frightened and down, making them doubt the Lord’s care for them.

When Jesus asks me to do something, He is aware of the situations at hand. In my limited mind set I am not aware of everything that could come out of my obedience which includes possible trials and tribulations but whatever comes, obedience to the Lord should be a priority. Sometimes the storms of life just come and it can be very painful.

The most recent trial and tribulation for our family has been the death of my dad and all the days he was in the hospital. It has been six months since my dad went into cardiac arrest but feels like yesterday. It was really hard on all of us. It still is as I think back to that day in October 8th, 2007 when my dad went into cardiac arrest and the December 17th day when my dad went to be with the Lord. But through this major storm of life that lasted for months, Jesus has never abandoned us but has been by our side to comfort and take care of us. I thank the Lord Jesus for that. We could not go through this without Jesus in our lives. The storms of life are not always calmed to our liking or when we want them calmed but Jesus does it His way and strengthens us.

It would be nice to still have our daddy here but Jesus knows best and we need to believe in the Lord's ways.  It is so important to seek the Lord during the storms of life too and not when things are going our way.

I saw myself in fear and doubt as the disciples did and the Lord yet intervened. Jesus could have been like, ‘I am not going to deal with him anymore after everything I have already done in his life.’ On the contrary, Jesus reached out to me, our family, and still reaches out in some powerful ways to this day!

To this day, my dad's memory is alive not only in our hearts but also in a memoriam on Pittsburgh Standard for his memory to be honored! The Pittsburgh Standard which the Lord Jesus gave to me to be used for His honor and glory on campus is changing lives as an online newspaper.

There are obstacles here too with the newspaper but I am depending on the Lord to help me through them for I know He will! I want to share with you two testimonies the Lord has sent to encourage me.

One of the testimonies  was from a student who encouraged me to continue with the paper when she told me that the devotionals she received through Pittsburgh Standard played a role to help her give her life to Jesus Christ so that He can be her Lord and Personal Savior. 

Another testimony just came this  from a person who told me that one of the devotionals really helped to make a decision in her life in confidence as she depends on Jesus to be her Light of the World.

Our Lord can bring good even out of storms. I know I have been there. Not only is Jesus using Pittsburgh Standard to change lives but it has been such a blessing to know when “Pittsburgh Standard” is typed in GOOGLE, it comes first for people to find it easily. I do not know how long the Lord wants me to continue with Pittsburgh Standard but I give myself up to the Lord to be used as His servant.

I am also blessed to have a wonderful job that I love where I have opportunities to reach students with the love of Jesus Christ! If the Lord calls me back to leadership in a ministry setting, I would still be honored to go as I wait upon the Lord! Wherever the Lord calls, I pray I will go!

I ask you now dear friends, what are the storms in your life?
Dear friend, there will be times in your life when you feel everything is going wrong for you or has gone wrong for you. You may have lost some one you love, you may have lost what you loved to do, you may have lost your joy, you may be dealing with someone who has been sick, etc which become storms in your life that need calming.

You could even know Jesus as your Lord and Personal Savior. Yet, when you look at the circumstances in your life, you may want to question Jesus' love and care for you. Please don't! Jesus does love you so much and cares for you. If He cared for the disciples, cares for me in my sinfulness, I know He will care for you and carry you in your pain.

When circumstances do not go our way, it does not mean the Lord does not love us anymore. It is easy for us to lean on our own understanding but the Lord wants us to lean on Him.

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)

It is wrong for us to think, just because we are Christians and the Lord is in our life, God should make things happen our way. I have had that mentality. The Gospel of our Lord Jesus teaches us that there will be trials and tribulations but we also learn that we can receive strength and power from the Savior.

Friend, even when we believe we are obedient to the Lord and follow His calling just as the disciples followed His calling to get to the other side, storms of life are not exempt. While they were going in the boat is when the storms came. After how the Lord already worked in their lives and those around them, they could have strongly believed in the Lord’s intervention and help but they were fearful and filled with doubt.

As storms happened to me, it may have happened to each of you too. I do not know but this I do know when the Lord calls us to something, it will not always be peachy but what we can be assured friend is that His love is reaching and He will be looking after us. Whatever storms you are facing right now, you do not have to face the storms on your own. You do not have to let it sink you and be hit by the waves of life in a negative way. There is no problem too deep that the Lord cannot solve it.

You can receive the help from the Lord. He does calm our fears and brings us peace. Every situation we are in may not be solved to our liking. If that were the case, I would still be shepherding leaders in ministry but the Lord in His mercy will give us the strength and endurance to bear and give us areas we can rejoice in Him! Praise the Lord! Amen!

So no matter what storms you are facing, whether they are academic, relational, spiritual in nature, etc know that Jesus loves you so much. He knows your pain and your doubts. He will not abandon you as an orphan in the storm but will come to you as His Word promises in John 14. This is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. The chapter starts out with, Jesus saying, “Let not your hearts be troubled, you are trusting God, now trust in me.”

It is trust we need especially in the storms of life for He is able to keep us from falling and He who began a good work in us will finish it to completion. Never give up but turn to the Lord in your storms and know that He will answer you. There are times the storm will totally disappear and other times through the storm, He will keep you strengthened and help you to move on as He is helping our family through the death of my dad. I have not given up on direct ministry for I know my Redeemer will allow me to shepherd leaders in ministry again if He chooses too. I also know He is the One who can provide wonderfully.

The final point I learned is that my obedience to the Lord should not be on the condition that things will go well for me but my obedience should be so  I can see the face of the Lord and one day He can say, “Well, done my good and faithful servant!”

How will that happen friend?
It starts out with acknowledging that we are a sinner and are in need of a Savior who can save us from our sin and set us free from its bondage. The storm of sin can be overwhelming and come like a flood but the cleansing blood of Jesus can absorb it and rescue you. So come to Jesus who died for you and came back to life to save you. Come as you are and lay your sins before the Lord. Ask Him to forgive you of your sin as you confess them to Jesus repenting of your sins. Now ask Him to be the Lord of your life to guide you and lead you. He will be your Lord and Savior whom you can serve. He will get you through the storms of life. Yes, He will friend. Turn to the Lord and believe what Jesus did for you.

May you rest in the Lord through the storms of your own life!  Savior today offers rest mightily saving, by giving you the strength and peace through the storms of life. Amen! I do believe we all receive the help we need according to His glorious will! Amen!    May you all rest in Him!

There is a wonderful song by Scott Wesley Brown called, “He will carry you” that will be playing in the background as you read this. You should look for another song called “Praise the Lord” by the Imperials which addresses storms of life too.

May we not be so overcome by negative circumstances that we lose faith but may we trust in the Lord through those circumstances. It is my prayer that we all can do that!

“Savior Today Offers Rest Mightily, Saving!”(S.T.O.R.M.S)/"What are the storms in your life?"

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you so much for all that you teach me from your Word. Just as the disciples feared and doubted during the storm, we have our own doubts and fears during the storms of our life. We are sorry Lord that after all that you have done for us, when things don’t go well for us, we sometimes doubt your care for us. I know Lord that I have been so guilty of that. Even in my doubts thank you for showing me your abundant love and grace. I know Lord circumstances in my life made the storms hit me harder but I also know you love me and are watching over me no matter what happens. Help me not to base the extent of your love for me based on the good things that happen to me. If nothing else happens, let us know you love us remembering what you did for us at Calvary. You took the nails that pierced your hands and feet for me. This I have come to see. You also took the thorns and lashes to pay for my sins’ strife so that through the washing of your Blood, I can be cleansed of my sin in life. Thank you Jesus! Please give us the strength to bear through the pains and always know your love for us. Thank you Jesus for being our Lord and Personal Savior! Thank you Jesus for coming back to life to save us! We turn our lives over to thee and to the usage of your plan. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!