December 18 2024

Wednesday December 18

The Voice of the Lord…”

Luke 8:22-26

22 Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake." And they launched out. 23 But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. 24 And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 But He said to them, "Where is your faith?" And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!" 26 Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.

Are you excited about getting into the “boat with Jesus” and crossing over to the other side? By the grace of God that is what I have been doing for the past 53 years of my life! And I can assure you that it has been most exciting journey a person could experience! I believe every day is another opportunity to get into the boat with Jesus and step out of our comfort zone and launch out into the deep to share His love, hope, peace, mercy and grace to someone who is perishing.

Matter of fact, the past several days I have been working on plans to get “on a plane with Jesus” the second week of January 2025, and go to the other side of the world to South Asia, to connect with our ministry partners there and join them in sharing Jesus with precious souls sitting in darkness. I trust you will be praying for me and this trip and if possible, feel free to financially support us and our ministry opportunities while we are there. Thanks so very much in advance!

Yesterday we talked about how after we surrender, consecrate, dedicate, and in obedience yield our lives to join Jesus in going to the other side, just like the disciple here in Luke 8 we will encounter “the windstorm”. But I remind you that what the devil does and means for evil to discourage and defeat us, God is using to prepare us for the work ahead and to increase our faith!

This is the story of everyone in the Bible that the Lord was going to use in a wonderful way to make His name known and great! Think of Moses. After he responded to the call of God to deliver the people of Israel from their slavery in Egypt, he ends up fleeing for his life and spending the next forty years in the wilderness caring for smelly sheep. Think of David. After he was anointed to be the next king of Israel, he spends the next fifteen or so years of his life fleeing from King Saul. Think of the Apostle Paul. After his conversion in Acts 9 in Damascus, he immediately started preaching Jesus and they sought to kill him. He went to Jerusalem and again after sharing Jesus with some Greek-speaking Jews, they sought to kill him.

So, don’t be surprised when trials, tribulation, opposition and persecution comes at you after you get into the boat with Jesus to cross over to the other side. It is evidence that God has plans to use you in a marvelous way to advance His kingdom and He is preparing you and increasing your faith.

The disciples were convinced that the boat was about to go down and Jesus was still asleep! They finally realized that He was their only hope to survive, and they woke Him up yelling, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” We must also get to the place in our desperation to make sure that Jesus is the Master and Lord of our lives, and also believe that He is the Master over everything that surrounds us and is attempting to drown us with discouragement and defeat!

“Jesus arose…”! I love these words! On the third day, “Jesus arose from the grave”! When we recognize the resurrection power of Jesus in our lives and ministry, anything is possible, and the victory is won. Maybe that is why the Apostle Paul would later proclaim in Philippians 3:10, “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death”. And in Romans 1:4, Paul wrote: “And declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.”  Jesus’ resurrection power changes everything! “Jesus arose and “rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.” Mark’s Gospel says, “Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.”

In closing, I remind you of Psalm 29:3-4: “The voice of the LORD is over the waters; The God of glory thunders; The LORD is over many waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful; The voice of the LORD is full of majesty.” I can’t help but think that the disciples would read this passage later in their ministry and always remember that “certain day” (v. 22) when they literally heard the “Voice of the LORD”, and the storm and waves disappeared!

Today, the “Voice of the LORD”, the Word of God, the Bible, “is powerful” and can still calm your heart and bring great peace in the midst of the storms in your life!

God bless!