I have been closely studying the Gospels lately and God has shown me many great things. Something especially eye-catching to me was the revelation of what was really going on during the story of Jesus calming the storm. Was Jesus’ first desire for us to always wake Him up when a storm arises or was He implying something deeper here? Are you waiting on God or is God really waiting on you?
Luke 8:22-25 (NLT) One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and started out. As they sailed across, Jesus settled down for a nap. But soon a fierce storm came down on the lake. The boat was filling with water, and they were in real danger. The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and the raging waves. Suddenly the storm stopped and all was calm. Then he asked them, “Where is your faith?” The disciples were terrified and amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “When he gives a command, even the wind and waves obey him!”
The first thing the illuminated within me in this was how unmovable Jesus was. Lately, the term “immovable” has been in almost everything that I’ve come across in the Word. Here, Jesus fell asleep on what was probably a small tiny boat and a huge, terrifying storm arose. I don’t know about you but from what I’ve seen in documentaries, even being on a big boat during a huge storm does NOT look fun at all… let alone a time for napping. Jesus was sound asleep when the boat they were in was starting to accumulate water from the torrents of wind and rain. He was not moved in the slightest by what was going on around Him. I can barely fall asleep if there is a light on. I can’t imagine sleeping on a boat during a time like this. Jesus REALLY knew Who He was and what He was there to accomplish. He knew it so well that this didn’t move Him at all. He knew He wasn’t going to die and that nothing would ever stop Him from His Father’s plan for His life.
Second, and the bigger picture here, was that the disciples got so scared that they had to wake up Jesus to do something about it. When Jesus awoke from His unmovable slumber, He calmed the raging storm. But Jesus didn’t turn around and say “Guys, I am with you always. Never fear!” He IS with us always. But His response to being woken up was a rebuke, not a comfort. “Where is your faith?” He said. The disciples were then so caught up in WHAT Jesus did that they missed WHO He was trying to imply they were. They are Sons of Almighty God! He has given them the power to tread over serpents and scorpions and over ALL the power of the enemy. (Luke 10:19) Jesus wanted the disciples to know that they had the authority themselves to calm the raging sea. Jesus tells us later that we were/are going to do everything He did and ever greater because He is going to leave the earth (John 14:12). The only problem was their faith. They were so moved to fear by what they could see that they missed their understanding of who they were.
As you read this post, if you are considering, or already have, accepting defeat by a storm in your life, I encourage you to rise up and shout at the storm without giving up. You have all authority over the enemy. If you keep shouting at the storm and you still haven’t seen results, then don’t quit until you do. I won’t talk about how it took Moses decades to see a promise that God gave him and tell you that you might battle the same storm for 40 years. However, I will tell you that it IS God’s will that you see the storm cease today. You are more than a conqueror! So don’t even tell the storm how big your God is, tell the storm about the authority God gave YOU here on this earth as His sons and daughters. The devil cannot touch you! Don’t be moved by the storms the enemy brings. Become the immovable object, standing firm on the foundations Jesus laid for us.