“One Year Bible” New Testament Passage
Matthew 8:18-34
Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with waves. But He was asleep. Matthew 8:23-24 (NKJV)
When we follow Jesus, there are times that He leads us headfirst into a storm. Later we see that He calms the storm with His rebuke, but really, He could have prevented the storm in the first place. He could have led in a different direction. He could have prevented the distress from ever materializing.
The Word of God always provokes resistance. There is always be a challenge to the advance of the Lord’s purpose and presence in your life. In fact, if there is no battle, no resistance, we might want to be concerned.
This storm was severe. It came suddenly. It threated to take this fledgling apostolic band down. But, Jesus stayed on course. He did not panic as it appears the disciples were prone to do. Out of the calm in Jesus’ heart, He spoke calmness into His world. We are called to do the same thing.
The resistance described in this passage was more than just a freak weather event. There was a reason it happened. Jesus was on assignment. There were two demon possessed men at the far side of the lake that were the object of His attention. The storm and the resistance was not designed to just scare Him and the disciples, it was resistance AGAINST fulfilling the ministry before them.
What resistance are you facing today? The real issue is not what’s against you. It is what has God told you to do. Go for God’s objective, and the storms will obey.