“So they shook Him awake, saying, “Teacher, don’t you even care that we are all about to die!” Fully awake, He rebuked the storm and shouted to the sea, “Hush! Be still!” All at once the wind stopped howling and the water became perfectly calm. Then He turned to His disciples and said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Haven’t you learned to trust yet?”” Mark 4:39-40 TPT.  In the KJV it says: “Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?”

Isn’t this hilarious and terrifying … all at once? The disciples are fearful and angry with Jesus for sleeping through a storm. What dumb things we all say, like: …’don’t You even care that we are all about to die?’ Um. Guys…think-about-it would ya? This man walks on water, He feeds thousands with a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish – you think a storm can kill Him? You should be rejoicing HE is IN the boat! I can’t speak for you but sometimes my thinking gets so squirrelled up it is amazing … and scary … all at once. We will have to fight harder when it seems like what God said isn’t true, otherwise we will allow our faith to be diminished.

That story of the storm in Mark, showed the disciples were going about doing what Jesus told them to do, and a suddenly …. happened. Oh! I pray a lot about my ‘suddenlies’ because they pop up in the most unexpected places and times. Just like the disciples’ experience, they occur when I am already tired, and I need to rest. Our trust in Him needs to be fully developed by His Grace in us. Otherwise we start feeling deserted and alone. And then that other guy turns up with his niggly, petty grievances and throws smoke in the air.  Faith and trust involve risk – following Jesus is risky living. Read the bible – ain’t no wimps in there! You can never be too old to take a risk, I’m nearly 80.

Let’s look at another man of God and his faith. I pick Abraham. Father God gave this man righteousness. He put it in Abram’s heavenly bank account. Why? God said: “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” Genesis 12:1 — and he went! Meanwhile Sarai probably had to leave her nice new lace curtains, a couple of gorgeous Persian rugs, and a couch that had been dispatched by Aussie post, directly from Babylon. She left some ofher stuff behind her because it wouldn’t fit on a camel. The whole family climbed up on their ship-of-the-desert and off they went.

They had no map. No GPS, no satellite … they only had God’s Word. Fancy that! Somebody following God and taking Him at His Word! Abram’s entire family had only what this man told them about his encounter with God. He dropped his father off in Haran, stayed for a bit and settled him, then the main party kept on going. People think fame is exciting – try following the Lord! Hubby and I spend a lot of time praying: ‘How are You going to get us out of this one Lord?’ It’s only fun when it’s finished!

Meanwhile, please excuse the cynicism, but who could ever imagine the average Joe telling his wife and kids today —‘We are moving!’ We are going to another place … I don’t know where it is – but God chose it for us. He says it is good and we’re going!”  I can hear the complaints and insults from here, and it was 6,000 years ago. ‘Have you lost your tiny mind? What about my friends? The internet?’Do they even have internet in Canaan? Honestly Joe, you are just so extra!” Obedience is not what it used to be my friend.

It took dedication, plus a whole lot of submission for Abram’s party to move, and then keep on moving. Stuff happened along the way. A couple of kings tried to steal Sarai, but God saved her twice! Yet Abram kept right on moving. Past the place where his nephew Lot nearly got crispy fried along with his family. Sadly, they had to leave Lot’s salt-laden wife behind. She is a warning that looking back is not what it is cracked up to be. Abraham’s life was never boring. Did righteousness and obedience alter this man’s life? I’ll say it did! He gained favour from God and made a dent on history that we haven’t seen since. Now he also has a bunch of kids he would not have had if he hadn’t followed God. Some of them he knew, some he has yet to meet. (That’s you and me, BTW.)

Trusting God is no small thing. Especially when it comes to launching out into the unknown. We’ve all heard stories about people who thought they had heard God but they were wrong. My premise is this — if we operate using our faith, HE WILL NOT LET US DROWN. We could look stupid. But, let’s be fair, most of us can do that all by ourselves. We might get wet, or end up with someone else doing CPR on us. Or we could end up barely alive in Intensive Care. However, if we look at the negative possibilities we will not move at all. Using your faith is not something you sort of kind of try out. It’s all or nothing … ps that’s why it is called faith.

Trust is a much bigger issue than we like to acknowledge. The way I see it, we have to get off the river bank, or leap out of a perfectly good boat, and jump in that swiftly moving water, and start floating … we live in REST, remember? We can’t believe for more trust by standing on the banks of the River of Life. Let’s choose to experience His Grace, for ourselves, right here right now. Trust grows as we doggedly dare to believe. Who knows what you will learn about Him on your journey? LET’S GO. Bye. 👋