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Crossing Seas - Part 3 - Receive Him in Your Boat

by Jerry Ousley  
5/24/2013 / Christian Living

Boats can be pretty small. A brother in our congregation had offered to take the men and boys of our church on a fishing trip aboard his pontoon boat. I'd seen these boats out on the lake and always thought that I'd like to go out on one. They looked big and roomy. We were all excited about it and when the day came we met at the lake, helped the brother launch the boat into the water and then we all climbed aboard. They might look big and roomy from the shore but with all those men and boys on the boat there was hardly room to stand. I had drunk a large amount of coffee that morning and was in dire need of getting rid of some of it. But there was no restroom on board.

The excursion was cut short by rain, but secretly I was glad it was over. That crowded boat just wasn't for me. Now where was that restroom?

We've been talking about the incident where the disciples were caught out on the Sea of Galilee in the middle of a terrible night storm. As the storm raged and howled they were wishing for their lives. To complicate matters, a spirit was out there walking around on the water that had to be some kind of sign of death or something!

But then Jesus had come to them and said, "Don't be afraid; it's Me." There they were on that crowded boat, being tossed by those mountainous waves and pushed around by the wind as if they were simply trash floating on the water. They were glad that Jesus was there. They put out their hands and brought Him into their boat.

That's significant. They could have said something like, "Lord, there's not much room in here and since you can walk on water why don't you just take us to shore." But that isn't what happened. They took Him in the boat. Now Jesus was one more in that tiny boat being tossed about like a rag doll. The boat was now heavier and consequently took on water faster. But they had to have faith enough to receive Him into their boat.

Many express belief in God today. They may even attend services at a church somewhere. They know the stories of Jesus. They sing the songs of praise. But they have never asked Jesus into their circumstance. Many are experiencing terrible life-storms right now. You don't know what you're going to do. You don't know where you're going to live. You've been let go from your job and you aren't sure how long it will take to get unemployment compensation so you'll have at least some income to buy food and pay rent. Will it even be available when the time comes to receive it? Times are tough and the storms are getting stronger.

But in the middle of our storms a figure comes walking on the water. He tells us, "It's Me; don't be afraid." Now we must invite Him into our boat in the raging waters of our storm. Maybe you've done that and it seems the storm hasn't calmed at all. Perhaps you've even accused Him, "Lord, I've done everything right. I've invited you into my storm. In the Bible You calmed the storm. There was a time when you were asleep on a boat and a terrible storm arose. The disciples were afraid then too, and you stood up and told it to calm down. You said, "Peace; be still" and the storm stopped. So why don't you calm my storm for me?"

A song was written a few years ago that said, "Sometimes He calms the storm and sometimes He calms His child." Invite Jesus into your boat into your storm. He may calm the storm, or He may do as He did in this situation. If you remember, they were only three and a half miles out on the sea. They still had two and a half miles to go. But the Bible says that as soon as Jesus stepped into the boat they were immediately at the shore. Somehow Jesus spanned that two and a half miles in an instant. They were safe on land.

Jesus may calm the storm for you. But then again, He may just help you to land. Whichever way He chooses in your circumstance the key is to have faith in Him. I don't mean to imply that if your faith is strong enough that miracles will happen. But I do mean that whatever happens, wherever your storm takes you, receive Jesus into your boat. He will go with you and somehow you will wind up safely on the shore.

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.? Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.

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