Daily devotional · February 6
Jesus in the Boat
“When that evening came, He said to His disciples, “Let us cross to the other side.” After they had dismissed the crowd, they took Jesus with them, since He was already in the boat. And there were other boats with Him. Soon a violent windstorm came up, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was being swamped. But Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him and said, “Teacher, don’t You care that we are perishing?” Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the sea. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm. “Why are you so afraid?” He asked. “Do you still have no faith?” Overwhelmed with fear, they asked one another, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?””
The disciples were experienced fishermen, yet a sudden storm terrified them, and Jesus was asleep on a cushion in the stern. Their question was honest, even accusing: do you not care that we are perishing? He rose, spoke to the wind and waves, and there was a great calm. Then he asked why they were so afraid. The story does not promise that storms never come to those who follow Jesus. They were in the boat because he told them to go. It promises that he is in the boat with us. Fear and faith can exist in the same heart at the same moment, and bringing the fear to him, even clumsily, is a form of faith. Today, tell Jesus plainly what frightens you. Then do the next small, reasonable thing in front of you, trusting that he is present in it.
Prayer
Jesus, You are in the boat with me. Calm what frightens me and help me trust You. Amen.