What a view
They’d do it again. I’m confident they would. The disciples of Jesus would get into the same boat and ride through the same storm. They’d do it again in a heartbeat. Why?
Because through their storm they saw the Savior.
Here is what the verse says: “Then those who were in the boat worshipped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’”
After he calmed the storm, they worshiped him. They had never, as a group, done that before. Never. Check it out. Open your Bible and search for a time when the disciples corporately praised him.
You won’t find it. You won’t find them worshiping when he heals the leper. Forgives the adulteress. Preaches to the masses. They were willing to follow. Willing to leave family. Willing to cast out demons. Willing to be in the army. But only after the incident on the sea did they worship him. Why?
Simple. This time, they were the ones who were saved. This time, their necks were removed from the nooses. Their bodies were the ones plucked from despair.
They did the only think that they could do when their death sentence was pardoned at the Eleventh hour: They thanked him.
When you recognize God as Creator, you will admire him. When you recognize his wisdom, you will learn from him. When you discover his strength, you will rely on him. But only when he saves you will you worship him.
It’s a “before and after” scenario. Before your rescue, you could easily keep God at a distance. Comfortably dismissed. Neatly shelved. Sure he was important, but so was your career. Your status. Your salary. He was high on your priority list, but he shared the spot with others.
Then came the storm… the rage… the fight… the ripped moorings… the starless night. Despair fell like a fog; your bearings were gone. In your heart, you knew there was no exit.
Turn to your career for help? Only if you want to hide from the storm; not escape it. Lean on your status for strength? A storm isn’t impressed by your title. Rely on your salary for rescue? Many try… many fail.
Suddenly you are left with one option: God.
And when you ask… genuinely ask… he will come.
And from that moment on, he is not just a deity to admire, a teacher to observe, or a master to obey. He is the Savior. The Savior to be worshipped.
I’ve had my share of storms. You probably have as well. It’s dark in the storm. It’s lonely in the storm. Honestly, it’s scary in the storm. But then you realize that even in the storm Jesus is coming for you. Walking on the waves of your troubles but waiting on an invitation to get into your boat.
There are times in a person’s life when, even in the midst of them, you know you’ll never be the same. Moments that forever serves as journey posts. I shared mine with my church yesterday. I know, I’m the preacher and I talk at church every week. But this week was different. It was the real story. Not the glossy, printable, producible kind but the real story. I don’t have enough space and you probably don’t have enough patience to read it all here but you can go to www.rio180.com and watch it.
I’m not proud of it or at all glad that it happened. But it did happen. And I am a better man now because of it; no, not because of it but because of Him. Jesus. I worship him because he saved me from my storm.
Have you ever noticed if it rains overnight how clear the view is in the morning? You see, before the storm there are all these things in the air polluting your view. But the storm serves the purpose of clearing it up for you. That’s what happened for me. After a terrible storm and a dark dark night the sun came up. And now I have a clearer view of God than ever before.
1 Corinthians 2:16-17 NIV 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
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