In my devotions today, I was reading in Matthew 8 and I came across part of the chapter that the Holy Spirit began speaking to my heart about. Verse 23 begins this way: Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. They were doing their job... following Jesus.
Now what happens next is where the disciples stopped following Jesus. We find in the next few verses that a bit of time has passed. Enough time that Jesus has curled up into a ball amidst the contents of the sea worn boat and had fallen asleep. Jesus is resting. But not his disciples.
Suddenly, without warning, a furious storm came upon the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. Jesus is still sleeping. But the disciples, who didn't rest, were suddenly taken in by the weight of their circumstances. In between gasps for air and panicked little girl shrieks, their lives flash before them. Fear takes hold. Somehow they had forgotten Jesus' command.
What command? Previously, in verse 18 Jesus gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. The destination was given. The way laid out. A boat provided. The voyage had begun for the disciples upon following Jesus into the ship. But they lost something. They had lost their faith. Fear had waltzed in and swiped it from them. Blinding them to the fact that Jesus had said they were going to the other side.
And now the waves threatened to claim their lives. So in fear they panic. They run to Jesus. To be clear, running to Jesus was the right place to go. Especially with such a pressing need as death knocking on your door. But I think that Jesus had hoped for more from his disciples. We can know that from the first words out of his mouth when he is aroused from his peaceful slumber: "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?"
He had expected his disciples to have faith. It is difficult though because what we see through faith is often contrary to the circumstances. Jesus was sleeping. His disciples should have been too. To rest in the middle of a storm that threatened to take their lives would've required faith. Faith in what? Faith in God. Faith that Jesus was with them. Faith that Jesus said "Go to the other side of the lake." Faith that they'd get through it.
But what they had was fear. "Lord save us! We're going to drown!" They stopped following Jesus and had left faith behind. When we operate in fear, we don't think clearly. We panic. Critical thinking goes out the window. This includes training, education... everything goes! We turn into self-preserving half-wits acting out of sheer animal instinct to survive. If you don't believe me, YOUTUBE scare pranks and watch as people who seem educated and mature turn into blubbering puddles of jello. Fear changes your consistency to jello. It's science. Get over it.
Despite their lack of faith, Jesus gets up and then rebukes the waves and wind. Suddenly, all is calm.
Again, it isn't that they ran to the wrong place in fear. It wasn't wrong to ask Jesus for help. It wasn't even that Jesus was Mr. Grumpy pants because they woke him up. It is that they should've entered into rest as he did, following him in example, weathering the storm with him in peace. Disciples follow.
I wonder how often we behave like the disciples. We get into places where we've been before and suddenly stop following Jesus. Most of the disciples were familiar with a boat. They got on it and went about their business instead of resting like Jesus. What is it they say? Familiarity breeds contempt. As soon as they were in familiar territory, what Jesus was doing was of no concern.
Do we do the same? We come home and it is familiar... so we stop following Jesus. Or we go to work where we've worked for 5 years. It is familiar... we know how it goes there. So we stop following Jesus.
No matter where it is, when we stop following Jesus, we begin to operate outside of faith. We behave differently and leave doors open for the enemy to rob us. We miss opportunities to have peace in the middle of storms. The boss is on a rampage, but you're not following Jesus, so you're stressed. The kids are misbehaving, we have no idea where Jesus is, so we lash out at them. We are bearers of strife, not bearers of peace. We act in fear and self-preservation.
Jesus is calling us to follow him. When he says, "Let's go." We go. No matter where or when or how. On the job, in the gym, on the road, or in our community. When we don't we may find ourselves suddenly, without warning in the middle of a storm. If we are following, we will have peace. If not, how we ride out that storm will not be what God intended for us.
Not only is it my hope that you will be challenged to follow Jesus in all that he leads you. But I hope that you will follow me in a prayer that I prayed myself today.
"Father, search my heart for fear today. Reveal it to me and I will repent of it. I want to be ALL IN to follow Jesus wherever he leads me. Forgive me for losing sight of Jesus. Replace the fear that is in my heart with faith so that I may follow wherever he leads. Amen."
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