Wednesday Bible Blurb “Sailing with Faith” 11 20 2024
Sailing, sailing over the mountain seas. The wind came up, the boat flipped over and into the lake I went.
Sailing, sailing over the mountain seas. The wind came up, Jesus walked by and away the wind went.
Faith does not mean smooth sailing; it means hang on for dear life until the storm is gone because Jesus is going to walk by and make it right. We all go through the storms of life, but we have no worries as our brother Jesus will be there for us. He has promised to save us despite ourselves (grace) if we trust Him. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9 [NKJV]). We by ourselves cannot command the wind to cease or for the waters to be still. Jesus, our brother does that part for us as we show Him our faith.
Have we considered how God tests our faith? He called Abraham and tested him with the sacrifice of Isaac and then said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, form Me.” (Gen. 22:1-2,12). He called Joseph and tested him with being unjustly thrown into prison but “the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.” (Gen. 39:21). Samuel the great prophet anointed David to be king of all Israel (I Sam. 16:12) and yet David had to endure many years of trials before becoming king. Their faith was tested.
God provides for us a pattern of faith throughout the entire Bible. When God calls someone to His service, He tests them to see if they will be faithful. God has called all of us to His service and we also endure tests of faithfulness. Before we move on to greater service for Him, we must endure the stresses of life and remain faithful to Him in the storm just like the patriarchs and the apostles did. When we walk through the storm hold our heads up high and praise God for His gift of working with us. When the storms come to us, He walks by and calms our stormy seas.
Have we considered God’s lists of heroes in Hebrews 11? They all walked through the storm of life and kept the faith. They knew God was walking with them and nothing in this world was going to take them from their God! “…through FAITH subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trials of mocking and scourings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in the dens and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a testimony through FAITH, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.” (He. 11:33-40). Faith is a test.
Twice in the early lives of the disciples we see Jesus coming to their rescue and calming the wind and the seas. In Mark 6:47-51 Jesus sends His disciples across the Sea of Galilee in a small boat. The wind came up and they were afraid. Then, walking across the water Jesus shows up and says, “’Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.’ Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased.” Matthew tells us of the remarkable story of Jesus sleeping soundly in a boat when the wind and the seas came up. The tempest of the storm was strong, the waves were high, and these seasoned fishermen thought they would perish. Sleeping through the storm in full faith was Jesus. “Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying,” Lord, save us! We are perishing!’ But He said to them, ‘Why are you fearful, O you of little faith’ Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm” (Matt. 8:23-27).
Why are we fearful in our trials and storms of life? Are we of little faith like the disciples were? Do we worry and lose sleep at night? Does our heart sink in pain and our stomach churn as we endure the trials and storms of this human life? All the disciples had to do was ask Jesus for deliverance and the wind ceased. James, brother of Jesus says, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” (James 2:26). Ask Jesus to calm the stormy winds in our life. He will calm our storms and release us from our worries if we have faith. The disciples had to endure the storms and be patient until their deliverance. We must be patient and wait for our delivery too.
The little sailboat was quietly skimming across Lake Sherwood when the wind suddenly rose. Before I knew what was happening a large gust of wind hit the sailboat and threw me into the water and completely turned the boat upside down. The mast was pointed toward the bottom of the lake, and I was swimming. Faith without works is dead, so I swam and stayed near the upside-down sailboat. Soon, a little skiff was launched from shore and I could see people coming to my rescue. The wind had ceased, the waves had calmed as I climbed into the rescue boat. Trials and the storms of life come to all. Be strong and faithful, Jesus will walk by and pick you up.
