'Til The Storm Passes By.

Remember the story about the disciples being out at sea with Jesus when the waters trembled all around them? They were fearful and I'm sure doubting why they had chosen to follow the one who called himself Jesus. After all, why would the same man that said He was God and Master of creation be sleeping while all of their lives were at stake? Why wasn't He doing something? Didn't He understand and see how scared they were?You can only imagine the concerns and frustrations. Imagine the cracking and creaking of the boat and the waters lapping at the edge demanding death. Any human heart would've been greatly frightened.Previous to this frightful evening, Jesus had cleansed a leper, healed a centurion's servant by faith alone, called demons out of bodies, and spoke the powerful words, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:25-26). And yet, fear entered their hearts, and they failed to remember that His timing was always perfect. They had seen that even death had no power over Jesus, so why would they fear that He wasn't going to take care of them in this urgent moment?Can anyone else see how this parallels with your life?Many, many times the waters of life have been troubled all around me. I've asked, begged even, for Jesus to just show up and take away the hurt and pain that falls all around. As the weight of the burden and fear push and pry at every angle, I wonder where He is. Does He hear me crying out? Does He care that I feel like I can't weather another day?Just like the disciples, I know that Jesus is there. But that sometimes hurts even more, knowing that He is beside me but not doing anything.But let's take a look at what happens when Jesus wakes up. He says to them, "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?" Bam. Anyone else feel like they just got a punch to the gut? Yeah, me, too. Jesus then rises and rebukes the winds and seas. Then there was a calmness. And, just like that, the disciples realized that Jesus was always going to save them, He just wanted them to trust Him.See the issue is we fail to remember that God never promised that our cross would not get heavy or that the hill wouldn't be hard to climb. He never offered our victories without fighting, but He did say that help would always come on time. We might have to go through the fire a little, but He is right there with us and will be standing with us on the other side.We never have to stand one test alone. Look around at all the victories He has done for you in the past and feel your spirit rise within you.May our trust grow and fear diminish.words by Joy Payne and photo by Cate WillisSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave