FAITH IS FOR THE MIDDLE
"And a furious storm of wind arose, and the waves kept beating into the boat, so that it was already becoming filled. But He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they awoke Him and said to Him, Master, do you not care that we are perishing? Mark 4:37-38
The disciples probably were not nearly as excited in the middle as they may have been in the beginning. Although God often calls us to launch out to a new destination, He usually does not let us know what is going to happen on the way to it. We leave the security of where we are and start out for the blessings of the other side, but it is often in the middle where we encounter the storms. The middle is often a place of testing. The storm was in full force, and Jesus was asleep! Does that sound familiar?
Have you ever had times when you felt that you were sinking fast-- and Jesus was asleep? You prayed and prayed and heard nothing from God. You spent time with Him and tried to sense His Presence, and yet you felt nothing. You searched for an answer, but no matter how hard you struggled against the wind and waves, the storm raged on-- and you didn't know what to do about it.
This storm the disciples found themselves facing was no little April shower or harmless summer squall, but a storm of hurricane proportions. The waves were not gently rolling and tossing; they were beating into the boat with such fury that it was quickly becoming filled up with water. It is at times like this, when it looks as if the boat is sinking with us in it, that we must "use" our faith. We can talk about faith, read books about it, hear sermons about it, sing songs about it; but in the storm, we must use it. It is also at such times when we discover just how much faith we really have.
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