The Testing of Our Faith

(part 2)

“Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. He taught them many things by parable.”

Mark 4:1-2

It is hard to miss the sound of dissatisfaction in Jesus’ voice as He turned to His disciples in Mark 4:40 and declared, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” To better understand His displeasure, we must go back to earlier in the day when He sat with the crowds along the Sea of Galilee.

It must have been a relatively mild day in order for Jesus to have been able to teach from a boat to the eager crowd on shore. He began to teach them, through parables, a Kingdom message regarding the magnitude and importance of the “seed”. The seed in these parables represents God’s Word! He taught them the “parable of the sower” and how important it is that we receive the Word of God in it’s fullness. He shared with them the “parable of the growing seed” and how God’s Word brings us to spiritual maturity. He also explained to them the “parable of the mustard seed” and the extraordinary power that is housed in such a tiny vessel; further demonstrating the power of life that is carried in God‘s Word.

Once He had finished addressing the crowd Jesus turned to His disciples and said: “Let us go over to the other side.” Mark 4:36 tells us:

“Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him.”

After a long day, Jesus made His way to the stern of the ship and went to sleep. Did Jesus know the storm was approaching? I personally believe so! Jesus had spent the entire day sowing God’s Word into their hearts. He had equipped them with all the faith they needed to face the coming storm. Romans 10:17 tells us:

“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”

Jesus believed enough in the “Word” that He had sowed into them that He was able to rest knowing that the storm was approaching. He was fully confident that His Word could produce the faith needed to meet any situation!

Can I challenge you today with something? Maybe YOU are in a storm! Perhaps you are facing sickness, divorce, or a loss of income! Maybe you have been feeling like God doesn’t care! You keep waiting on Him to see you in your misery and come and “rebuke” the bad things that are happening in your life. You think to yourself, “I am just going to bail water until it gets bad enough for Jesus to help me.” Or perchance, you are waiting on a special word from heaven, a “revelation” from the Lord, that will help you to make it through.

Is it possible that Jesus has already equipped you? His disciples were equipped with everything they needed to make it through the storm. In fact, they had it with them from the moment they left the shoreline. I think that for many, the answers we are looking for are already within us. We must stop waiting on Him to rebuke the wind and the waves and start believing the Word that has been sown inside of us!




Pastor Scott Burr
http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com