This crisis we are going through did not take God by surprise. Matthew 8 and Mark 4 show us that Jesus Christ Himself told His disciples to get on the boat and go to the other side. Did He not know the storm was coming? Of course, He did! Then why get on the boat?

I believe it was a teaching moment for His disciples. But what was The Lord Jesus Christ teaching them? What were the lessons learned through the storm? The Bible says in Matthew 8:18, “Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side.” Jesus told them – commanded them — to enter the boat! If He knew what was coming, then it must be a teaching moment for the disciples. But again, what was The Lord Jesus Christ teaching?

I believe He was teaching 4 things.

Number One – His Closeness.

Matthew 8:23, “And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.”
No matter what was coming, The Lord Jesus Christ was with them. He was in the boat! We must realize as born again, blood bought believers that Jesus is always with us. He will never ever leave us, nor will He ever forsake us!
Where is The Lord when I get sick?
Where is the Lord when my marriage is falling apart?
Where is the Lord when my child is in rebellion?
Where is the Lord?
He is always there.
In His Omnipresence – He was there before the crisis; He is there in the middle of the crisis and He is there when another crisis comes! He is there!

Second – His Calmness.

Matthew 8:24-26, “And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. 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.”
In the midst of the crisis, Jesus is our peace.
In Mark’s account he tells us that Jesus has a pillow. Amazing. He knows the crisis was coming and yet he was resting.
Hebrews 4:9, “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.”
I praise God that there is an eternal rest in Heaven. But I believe there is also a Sustaining rest here and now for believers. We entered in that rest when we received Christ as our Savior and Lord. Therefore, when I read this account in Matthew, the disciples did not walk in the rest of the Lord Jesus Christ. In times of crisis and difficulty, we either panic like these disciples or we walk in peace – resting in the One who is our peace.
Ephesians 2:14, “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;”
We walk in panic or we walk in peace! We walk in fear or we walk by faith!
President Franklyn D. Roosevelt said, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” But that is not true.
2 Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” The disciples panicked but Jesus was at peace. During times of crisis and not knowing what to do, we must rest in Him. He is our strength, source and sufficiency. Only Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith can guide us and lead us in times of crisis. He gives us the calm in the storm – Peace, be still!

Third – His Correction.

Matthew 8:26, “And he saith unto them, why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?”
The Lord Jesus correcting them! Who was in the boat with them? Why were they not resting in Him? Faith was there, because Jesus is our faith. We must realize that God will use anything to bring us back to Him.
Hebrews 12:6, “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” This is a major moment for the Church. We must not just walk by faith and experience His peace- that passes all understanding. His faith and peace must be seen in the midst of the crisis. May we learn to trust and obey. Through God’s teaching there is always correction. We must learn and listen to what God is saying. We must be the Church.

Last – His Control.

Matthew 8:26-27, “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. But the men marveled, saying, what manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!”
The power to calm the storm.
The power to calm the disciples.
He knew the storm was coming.
He knew how the disciples would react.
He knew what He would teach them.
Walk by Faith. Trust in Him. He and He alone is in control.
Someone said, “I would rather have Jesus in the boat during the storm, than not having Him in the boat during a calm.” Knowing that He is in the boat is all we need! I love the phrase in Matthew 8:27, “But the men marveled, saying, what manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!” That phrase, “What manner of man,” is used several times in the New Testament. It means awesome, colossal, out of this world! To use South Carolina terminology, “This man ain’t from around here!” Literally, “He is from another world!” He is sovereign God. He is in control! He is omnipotent – all powerful – able to do and accomplish anything!

I am reminded of Habakkuk. Through his asking why, and telling God He was indifferent, Habakkuk began to understand that he must walk by faith. At the end of the book, he still as no answers but only to trust in the One who is the answer.
Habakkuk 3:16, “When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble:” Then he makes these amazing statements, Habakkuk 3:17-19,  “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength.”

We must rest in Him and we must rejoice in Him!
This is a high moment for the believers.
Believers have someone that the unbelievers do not.
We have the Lord Jesus Christ who is our rest and peace- living in and through us!
Let us show the unbelieving world who we are in Christ and be true to His calling- to be salt and light! May the church hear from the Lord to repent of being lukewarm and show the world He is alive.