Posted by Kurt Scobie on November 3, 2016
We are going to the other side.
I'll never forget these words, which came from a mentor and small group leader during one of the worst "storms" of my life. When I felt like I was drowning, I was reminded of God's faithfulness. That His love is unfailing and that He would never let me down. Jesus, though it seemed like he was asleep when I hit rough waters, was in control. And He was for me.
This reminder of His faithfulness is drawn from Luke 8:22-25, which reads:
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!”
In the beginning of this story, Jesus says "let's cross to the other side of the lake". There was no doubt in his mind that they would make it. In other words "WE are going to the other side." Not "let's try" or "let's see" or "well, it's a long shot, but maybe we'll get lucky". No. He was confident.
It can be easy to look down upon the disciples in this story, because, after all, wasn't Jesus with them? I mean, He's GOD. Why did they lose their faith?
But, we do the exact same thing. One day we can feel close to the Lord and know that beyond a shadow of a doubt that He is real and He is for us. And the very next day, we'll face rough waters and completely forget that the maker of the wind and rain is still right there with us.
In a recent songwriting challenge I wrote a song about this. Below is a video of that song, titled "Never Let Me Down", which is meant to be a reminder that God is always close and he is always for us.
He will never leave us or forsake us. He will never fail us. He will never let us down.
https://youtu.be/NEIkpl24Few