You are not perishing....

Matt. 8:24-27

^"24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. ²⁵ And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” ²⁶ He *said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. ²⁷ The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”"

   Its easy to just read through this story. We have heard it 100 times, seen it on the cheesy flannel boards in VBS 100 times. Heard our faith called into question in 100 different sermons through this scripture. But I think that this scripture, as in so many, there is a nugget hidden that we often miss because of familiarity.

  
   There is a very odd, striking contrast in this scripture. To sum it up we might say there is a storm, a sleeping Jesus, a lack of faith, and then a Savior who controls the elements. We hear it taught that Jesus had no fear of being killed from this storm so He was asleep. I totally agree with this. But if this is true, why did He stop the storm???

   Ever thought about this? They were perfectly safe. Jesus was there. They were not going to die. Nothing bad was going to happen. So why did He chide their faith and then stop what was causing them doubt? As a father, I would leave my kids in the situation that they had no reason to be afraid of until they seen that they need not fear.

   I took my son, Oliver, on our front porch during a thunderstorm so he could sit in my arms and watch the thunder and lighting. He seen that it was nothing to be afraid of, but that it was kind of cool. He may like storms as much as me. But the point is that I sat with him there until he seen he was going to be OK.

   So why didn't Jesus? I think the answer is pretty simple, though Ive missed it in the past. Jesus didn't rebuke the storm because he was tired and wanted to get back to bed. "If these grumbling, faithless disciples would leave Me alone I could sleep, so I guess Ill just make this storm leave to get some shuteye." But I also don't think He did it because they needed to see the supernatural displayed. They had just gotten back from a whirlwhind healing/deliverance revival where countless where healed and delivered of demons.

   The point, I now believe, is found in the disciple's statement "We are perishing." I honestly believe, as I am sure you do, that Jesus knew they would be fine even with the storm. But the disciples didn't. They were scared. Jesus may have questioned there little faith, but He also wanted to reveal His heart.

   You see, you and I are never perishing. Not ever. As believers who walk close to our God, nothing can touch us. For me to put the scriptures up that confirm this, well it would just take too long. Every fear is a lie. Every time we are anxious it is a lie. Every time we are scared or intimidated it is a lie. The peace inside of Jesus was His reality, not the storm outside. He made that peace the disciple's reality because of His love for them.

   "You are never perishing." Jesus says in so many words, and then proves it. He is not the strict school master who demands perfection, but instead He is the loving Savior that says "This storm may be reality, but My love for you is Truth." You are never perishing. He loves you too much. Don't doubt His love. He didn't wake up to prove His ability, He woke up to prove His love.

   You are not perishing. Ever.