Daily Devotional

This summer I passed another milestone marker in my life.  It seems it was just a few years ago and it was my 50th High School reunion.  Then it was my 50-year college reunion.  Next it was our 50th anniversary of our marriage.  That was followed by 50-years since my seminary graduation.  This June marked 50-years since I took my first senior pastorate position at a Baptist church in northern Pennsylvania.  This is making me feel quite old.  I mention all of this because through many years of life and ministry, I have seen the faithfulness of God.  There have been many opportunities to learn to trust the Lord in a deeper way.  One of the things I have learned is that I grow at an accelerated pace spiritually, when I must face the challenges of life.  It seems that spiritual growth takes place in a deeper way when I work through the problems of life rather than when everything is going smoothly.  A Biblical principle I have learned is that spiritual growth only takes place when I apply to everyday life the truths I am learning from God’s Word.  I am challenged to stop and think about where my trust and faith lie.  Life daily gives me opportunities to either trust the Lord or my own abilities.

Often, I find myself responding to the problems in life like the disciples.  The disciples were doing the will of the Lord.  They were in the boat crossing the Sea of Galilee just as He had instructed them.  A storm arose that was so severe, that it threatened to sink their boat.  The disciples were afraid and in human effort tried to save themselves.  When they were exhausted they sought help from the Lord.  The Lord was asleep in the boat.  The disciples woke the Lord and asked him, “Do you not care that we are perishing, ‘Save us!’”  They were asking for material, temporal deliverance from danger.  They felt that the Lord was not concerned about them and the problems they were facing.  The Lord arose and rebuked the wind and the waves.  The wind immediately died down and the sea was calm.

As I respond to the problems in life I need to learn from the disciples.  I should evaluate the things I do when I face seemingly overwhelming circumstances.  Do I first respond in faith or with my own strength and ingenuity?  The disciple’s response to this crisis teaches me several things.

Practical lessons that I can learn from the disciple’s experience…

• They had the Lord’s promise…“Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.”
• They had the Lord with them…He was asleep in the boat.
• They could see the example of Jesus…He was completely at peace with the circumstances.

 
Their reaction was common to mine…

• The problem seemed overwhelming…the waves were high and the boat was filling with water.
• Even though the Lord was there…they asked for His help only when they had exhausted all their efforts.

When I face the struggles of life, I can hear the Lord asking me as He asked His disciples, “Where is your faith?”  The Lord is always with me, and I need to turn to Him in faith every moment of the day.  

What am I facing in my life today that I need to trust the Lord and exhibit faith?  What steps can I take to deepen my faith?  How can I live out my faith in a practical way today?

Prayer:  Lord, it is easy for me to so focus on the size of the waves in the storms of life that I forget that You are there with me every day.  Help me to turn to You and to apply Biblical truth to all the challenges of my life, especially the overwhelming ones.  I admit I cannot handle life in my own strength.  I need Your strength daily.  Thank You for being there for me as I turn in faith to You.  Amen

New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.