By Grant Kaul, Senior Pastor
Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. Acts 4:13
Confidence in Christ gives us the strength to be calm in our storms.
Storms can be very unsettling. If you have ever been caught in a hurricane, torrential thunderstorm, tornado, or snowstorm, you have come face to face with your own limitations. Case in point: Jesus sending the disciples to cross the lake of Galilee in the face of an approaching storm while He went on the mountain to pray (Mark 6:45-52). Jesus prayed. The disciples panicked. Sound familiar?
You likely will recall what Jesus taught His terrified men when He walked on the water and approached them in the midst of their wind driven trial, “Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid.” We even know that He astonished them by completely calming the storm. The storm was necessary to continue to soften their hardened hearts (Mark 6:52) and teach them of His deity, His power, and the peace that comes from His presence. Jesus knows the outcomes of the storm before it even occurs.
As slow to learn as the first disciples seemed to be, they did eventually learn the secret to standing strong in the midst of mayhem. Several years later, some of these same disciples faced a storm of a different nature, one that involved hostility from the Jewish leaders and imprisonment for proclaiming that Jesus is the resurrected Christ (Acts 4:1-22).
This time things were different, because Peter and John were different. They had learned how to find strength in the face of a storm by:
- Being filled with the Holy Spirit (v.8)
- Trusting fully in the sovereign Lordship of Christ. (vv. 10-12)
- Having been with Jesus (v.13)
We, too, face a wide variety of unsettling circumstances and must learn the same lesson. Confidence in Christ gives us the strength to be calm in our storms.
As we journey together through this pandemic, let us continue to grow in our dependence and delight in Christ who is our salvation, security, and hope. Let us look not only at our circumstances; but more importantly, let us learn to just be with Jesus, who is the sovereign Lord overall and over all of us. I invite you to explore our website at www.fellowshipwaco.org and discover how to connect with the ministries, messages, and resources we have to encourage our hearts and build our confidence in Christ.
